Sunnybrae

Hi, we may at some point need to visit parents in B.C. and that involves an internal flight. Assuming quarantine is still in force, would we have to spend 2 weeks in Vancouver where we first enter from the UK or can we take the internal flight and then quarantine at final destination? We usually have to overnight at Vancouver in a hotel but we can always stay airside at the airport if needed to allow us to get to where we're going.

Former Lancastrian

As things are changing daily/monthly then giving you the answer today might not be in effect when you decide to come.

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration...te-family.html

Quarantine

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration...tml#quarantine

Sunnybrae

Thanks and I appreciate your response, would you know what's the situation at the moment if we say went next week? I need a base to start from but at the moment I've no idea if we can take the internal flight straight away or if we have to stay in Vancouver for 2 weeks first?
I suppose I could try the airlines or maybe even phone YVR and ask someone there?

Siouxie

Mandatory quarantine or mandatory isolation

Before considering travelling, all travellers arriving in Canada must plan for their mandatory 14-day quarantine period, which starts on the date they arrive. -

As I read it..
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-heal...quarantine_and
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration...tml#quarantine
If you could get an internal flight leaving the same day you may be able to continue with your journey - if you break the journey (i.e. stay overnight) then you would definitely need to quarantine in place - where do you need to get to? Could you drive there?

This may be of use https://www.yvr.ca/en/passengers/tak...-and-screening
https://www.yvr.ca/en/passengers/takecare/faq

Sunnybrae

Thanks Siouxie, I'll have to look at flights as I agree that if we break the flight journey we would have to stay in Vancouver, that's why I'm thinking if we stay airside, even if we overnight in the airport (unless we get chucked out) we could quarantine at final destination. Driving isn't an option as it's too far - parents stay beyond Terrace in north B.C.

Atlantic Xpat

As I understand it, if your final destination is different from the airport you enter the country at you quarantine once you have reached final destination not at the place where you first enter the country. For example if you were travelling to St John's Nfld, you cannot fly directly here at present but would have to fly via Toronto or Montreal. I know of travelers who have done this and quarantined here. I think that assumes you remain airside and don't break your journey as you say.

scilly

Note that in BC, not only are the feds checking up on people who should be in quarantine after travel, but also BC health officials are checking. Fines can be levied by either the Feds OR BC if people are found not to be in quarantine.

Currently the instructions as operating here are that you should go directly to your place of quarantine without stopping for food, shopping or hotel.

That means that no matter whether you fly or drive to your final destination, you will need to be able to get there without any stops. Then your family would have to quarantine with you (and risk infection) or you have to find other accommodation there.

We're facing a similar problem as we want to go to NS from BC for Christmas. I have the tickets booked, but current regulations mean that we have to quarantine in NS for 2 weeks after arrival, and then 2 weeks in BC after we return. We can't quarantine with our family or see them even though they live in the Halifax area because they would also be under quarantine with us and that is impossible as their house is small and also one is a teacher and another is still in school. We will not able to see them for that first 2 weeks.

That means we have to think a) can we afford 4 weeks in a hotel in Halifax (we don't stay with them normally), and b) will the hotel we use be willing to have guests staying in total quarantine with them. Many do not.

Then there is "do we really want to live in a bedroom with a tiny balcony, unable to leave the room for any reason, on Room Service meals for 2 weeks, and make our own beds and cleanse the bathroom" ......... although we very probably will be doing the latter two anyway, from what I hear from friends who have stayed in hotels at all levels from motel to 5 star in recent times.

The final straw would be if we had to quarantine for 2 weeks in Toronto as we have to overnight there both ways.


Coming home for us is no problems, we live about 10-15 minutes away from the airport, most taxi drivers will take arrivals from "outside", and we can get neighbours to get some essentials for us.

Do you really really need to come?????????

Siouxie

Do bear in mind that you will need to have a place to stay that is not with anyone over the age of 65 or with underlying health issues - if you are staying with parents are they aware that they will need to also quarantine for those 14 days - or else not have any contact with you? You will need a separate bathroom / kitchen / no communal (shared) area at all - and will you be able to ensure that you have adequate provisions for wintering in Northern BC - are you able to hire a vehicle to transport you to your place of quarantine? Once you are there you won't be able to leave for 15 days.. - so if you can't stay with parents, are you able to afford that length of time in a hotel and at least a month away from work? (don't forget you will need to quarantine when you return to the UK too).

Sunnybrae

It's a potential nightmare and I think we'd only go if we really had to. The plan would be to rent somewhere in Terrace assuming we can find somewhere to rent, get there in one go by staying airside all the way through, get the parents to drop 2 weeks of provisions off at the rental before we arrive, rent a vehicle for a month or so, spend 2 weeks watching the snowfall out the window, spend a couple of weeks with parents and potentially looking for somewhere to live for when I get PR and then fly home and stay indoors for 2 weeks watching the rain.

Scilly has a good point in saying do we really want to go .

Thanks for you help,

scilly

I do not know that you can stay airside at Vancouver Airport, especially in the current conditions.

You will have to go through Customs and Immigration in Vancouver, and you then have to leave the International Arrivals area to go out into the main airport. You then have to travel through the general open area to the Domestic Departures.

Siouxie

Depending on the day, there's up to 4 flights a day to Terrace on Air Canada (Saturdays = 8am / 1pm / 4,30pm / 6.30pm) - so you may be able to do the trip in one day, swift transfer from international to domestic departures. Westjet also fly there (1 flight a day).

I did find one option for a rental (notice the Brit cushions! LOL) - but it's pretty expensive... there are others https://www.home-to-go.ca/terrace/ and https://www.kijiji.ca/b-apartments-c...ce/c37l1700309

Sunnybrae