A recent CBC study found that many Canadian snowbirds returning home from Florida after winter avoid hotel quarantine by flying to Buffalo and then hiring a taxi that will not only take you across the border but also drive you home in Ontario.
CBC interviewed owners of companies serving Canadian snowbirds. One of them tells you that the American taxi company specializing in transport to and from the airport – Buffalo Limousine, lost about 70% of its income during the Covid-19 pandemic. But thanks to Canadian snowbirds returning from the US after winter, eager to avoid hotel quarantine, luck smiled.
From February 22nd, airline passengers flying to Canada are required to quarantine approximately 3 days in a designated hotel and pay for this stay – up to approximately $ 2,000. However, land travellers are exempt from this obligation.
Precisely to avoid hotel quarantine, many snowbirds fly to American cities close to the Canadian border such as Buffalo, NY, and then hire transport – such as the Buffalo Limousine to take them across the border.
The owner of the company, Mrs. Boccio, interviewed by CBC said that when Canada imposed hotel quarantine, her phones nearly exploded. What most people tell her is that they don’t care so much about money as they don’t want to feel like in jail with this hotel quarantine.
According to information obtained by CBC, it costs the US $ 100 to bring a Canadian across the border. Buffalo-based companies will drive passengers directly to their Ontario homes for an additional fee. Each of the companies interviewed said they were booming thanks to Canada’s hotel quarantine requirement.
Buffalo Limousine charges $ 120 US to drive a couple from Buffalo Airport across the border to neighbouring Fort Erie, ON or Niagara Falls. Crossing the border with transportation to downtown Toronto costs $ 300 US.
There are different rules for crossing the land border from the USA to Canada. The federal government disappointed the snowbirds who were abroad by announcing a change of travel rules on February 22. He introduced a requirement to test for Covid-19 upon arrival and spend up to three days of their 14-day quarantine in a hotel to await the test results.
Ottawa introduced this law to discourage international travel with the aim of stopping the spread of Covid-19 infection.
This requirement does not apply to those crossing the land border. Instead, they must complete several Covid-19 tests, including one in less than 72 hours before arriving at the Canadian border.
According to the Immigration – Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) data, the number of entries to Canada jumped by 15% during the first three weeks of March compared to the same period in February.