Kitchener man says wait for Toronto quarantine hotel room left him exposed to dozens of people

John Fackoury of Kitchener, Ont., was well aware that takinga flightto the United Kingdom to see his son this month meant staying ata quarantine hotel after returning to Canada, but now he fears the experienceput him more at risk ofCOVID-19 exposure.

"I was more than happy to comply. It's for the sake of public health, and in theory, this sounds like a good way to keep cases, especially with all these variants of concern, from coming over the border," said Fackoury, who booked a government-mandated hotel stay before landing at Toronto's Pearson International Airport on April 19.

Since mid-February, the government mandatethat travellers taking flights into Canada stay in a designated quarantine hotel until they receive the results of theirCOVID-19 test.

Fackoury, who owns and runs a custom sportswear company, used his phone to check into his three-night stay at the hotel, at a cost of $1,000. Hesaid he wasdirected to go into a shuttle bus with eight other people he didn'tknow, and the windows couldn't open.

The 30-year-old said that after a 40-minute bus ride to the hotel, hewas told it wasoverbooked and he was being moved to an affiliated hotel. But after arriving at the second hotel, he said, no one knew he was supposed to be checking in and he was told it would be a while before he could.

"They wanted me to wait in a busy lobby, one of seven waiting rooms with several dozen other people."

Instead, Fackourywaited outside. He saw people comeand gofrom the hotel some pickedup food from delivery drivers and no one seemed to monitor anyone's movement, he said.

By the time he got to his room, "I probably was exposed to at least a hundred other people in an indoor environment."

'Real opportunity' to not comply

A day later, Fackoury received his negative COVID-19 test and was allowed to go home to self-isolate. He remains in isolation until end of day May 2.

"When I checked out, all they did was ask me if I had a negative test;they didn't actually verify that I did, so that was a bit concerning."

Fackoury said the system seemedto be in shambles.

"There was a real opportunity for me to just not comply and I don't know if anybody would have known," he said. "It's just optics to make it look like the government is trying to do something."

Ottawa spokespersonstresses safety

Andr Gagnon, a media relations adviser for Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), was contacted by CBC K-W and responded by emailto questions about Fackoury's experience.

Gagnon said the government "takes the health, safety and security of travellers who are staying in government-authorized accommodations or designated quarantine facilities very seriously."

He said the hotels are responsible for:

• Providing safe transportation of travellers from the airport to the hotel.
• Providing travellers with threenights of lodging that meetgovernmentrequirements.
• Providing traveller necessities, including meals, telephone andWi-Fi in a safe and accessible environment.
• Reporting traveller information to the PHAC, including check-in, check-out, and compliance with theQuarantine Act.

Gagnon also saidanyone leavingone of the hotels, dubbed a government-authorized accommodation (GAA), before receiving the COVID-19test results would be in violation of the Quarantine Act.

"Aperson who causes a risk of imminent death or serious bodily harm to another person while wilfully or recklessly contravening this act or the regulations, including submitting false information related to an individual's quarantine plan, could be liable for a fine of up to $1,000,000 or imprisonment of up to three years, or to both," he said.

As of April 20, Gagnon said the PHACis aware of 404 tickets that have been issued to travellers who arrived in Canada without having booked a GAA hotel and refused to go to one, which could land a $3,000 fine.

Man wantsto show quarantineflaws

Fackoury knows not everyone will agree with his decision to travel to see his son, butsaid he wanted to raise his concerns about the hotelsto show the flaws in the system.

Fackoury said he will travelagain.

But as things change quickly, he anticipates he'll need to spend hours figuring out the new rules. During past travels, the rules have changed while he wasmid-trip. In January, for example, he said the federal government made it so he had to obtain a negative test before getting on the plane to fly home.

But Fackoury saidhe's willing to abide by the rulesto keep people safe.

"Everything I'm saying here is coming from the perspective of somebody who has tried very, very hard to be compliant rather than somebody who's rebelling against the rules."