Newfoundland and Labrador’s new travel restrictions come into effect today at 3 p.m., and that’s causing headaches for travelers hoping to get home for the holidays.
The new restrictions require fully vaccinated travellers to isolate for five days and take rapid tests on each of those five days.
One such traveller who is hoping to come home is Tina Fushell.
Fushell has written a letter to Premier Andrew Furey and Health Minister John Haggie regarding the new rules.
It’ll be her first time home in over two years, and her flight is supposed to arrive at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, but now she’ll have to isolate away from friends and family as soon as she gets home.
She says she has no problem taking the rapid tests and is in favour of measures to slow the spread, but takes issue with the isolation requirement. In particular, to what she calls the “arbitrary” implementation deadline of today at 3 p.m.
For example, she says one of her friends flew home yesterday and gets to spend the holidays with family, but because she booked her flight a few days later she has to quarantine away from everyone.
Fushell says the situation is very tough mentally. “I’m two seconds away from having a tear down my face,” says Fushell. Heartbroken, she says she now has to decide if she’s going to go through with the trip or cancel it.
That doesn’t necessarily mean that those returning to the province have to isolate away from family members says Health Minister John Haggie. He says some families may choose to isolate together.
He says the arriving traveller must self-isolate. On arrival they will receive a box of five rapid test kits which they will have to administer—one each day—until the five days are over and all the tests come back negative, then they “can go about their business,” says Haggie. If the family decides to isolate together, then the same rules apply.
Meanwhile, Haggie says 811 and even 911 is “jammed” with calls from travellers trying to get information on what is required starting today.
Haggie says the province’s COVID-19 information website has all the information clearly laid out for those planning travel to the province in the coming days.
He says the website has clear instructions on what is expected of travelers, and if there are further questions people can email healthinfo@gov.nl.ca.
