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Anyone flying back to Canada must stay in a government-approved hotel at their expense for 3 days to wait for the results of a now-mandatory COVID-19 test. Those driving back must show evidence of a negative test result at the U.S.-Canadian border.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. \u2013 Canadian snowbirds now visiting South Florida will face new layers of COVID-19 rules upon returning back home.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Effective Feb. 22, those who fly back to Canada will have to stay in a government-approved hotel at their expense for three days to await the results of a newly required COVID-19 test.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n People who drive back must show evidence of a negative test when they reach the U.S.-Canadian border.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The tough new COVID screening measures created hard choices recently for people visiting Florida and other U.S. tourist spots, travel experts say.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n One recommendation: \u201cExtend their trips and take out additional travel insurance and wait this out until the restrictions get lifted, which I don\u2019t think is going to happen until April, May or June,\u201d said Martin Firestone, president of Travel Secure in Toronto, a travel insurance brokerage.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Those are the present-day realities for Canadians who have annually enjoyed life\u2019s pleasures and done business on both sides of the U.S.-Canadian border during the winter months.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Those realities have frustrated business owners, investors and tourists.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n As the pandemic gripped the economies of the U.S. and Canada last year, few among snowbirds, short-term tourists or government officials expected this year\u2019s winter tourism season to be normal.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n But as the pandemic has lingered and vaccine rollouts have been slow, the Canadian government has resolved to again tighten its international travel rules.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Thus far, the number of Canadians visiting the tri-county area, though obviously diminished, is incalculable, Susan Harper, Canada\u2019s consul general in Miami, recently said.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n But the bottom line is this: \u201cNow is not the time to travel,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe government of Canada has been very clear and consistent on this fact,\u201d Harper said in an interview with the South Florida Sun Sentinel. \u201cCanadians are strongly advised to cancel or postpone any non-essential travel plans. Unfortunately, tourism and recreation fall into the category of non-essential travel.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Other than anecdotally, Harper said there is no way to know how many are now in South Florida or elsewhere across the state.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Like its neighbor to the south, Canada is in a race to vaccinate its population while keeping the virus at bay with other measures. One has been to keep the Canada-U.S. border closed to non-essential travel since March 2020.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n According to media reports, 14.5 million Canadians are projected to be vaccinated by June. But thus far, only residents of long-term-care homes and essential front-line workers have been able to get shots.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Some flew south to receive COVID vaccines and return home until the state of Florida put a stop to the practice of giving shots to foreign residents. However, Canadians who can prove Florida property ownership are still flying in to get their shots, Firestone said.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cClients are leaving Canada now to fly down to Florida to get a vaccine,\u201d he said. \u201cThey are [property] owners.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The year-over-year decline in Canadian winter visitors can be gauged anecdotally by what people don\u2019t hear and see in the streets: French speakers from the province of Quebec, and lots of Canadian provincial license plates.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t hear the French language spoken as much as we used to,\u201d said Marie Suarez, CEO and executive director of the Greater Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. \u201cWe do miss our Canadian tourists. They are a big part of our winter economy here.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Born in Canada and a naturalized U.S. citizen, Suarez has family in Ottawa and would like to travel north to see her father. But not now. \u201cI\u2019m staying put,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Last week, the Canadian government was preparing a list of hotels where returning air travelers could stay for three days upon arriving by plane from international destinations in four designated Canadian cities: Montreal and Toronto in the country\u2019s eastern half; Calgary and Vancouver in the west.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n With few exceptions, nonessential air travelers are now required to reserve three nights in a hotel approved by the government. The Canadian government\u2019s official website listed four airport area hotels in Montreal; four in Toronto, two in Calgary and one in Vancouver.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The new measures, the government says on its website, \u201care in addition to existing mandatory pre-boarding and health requirements for air travelers.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n For those driving back home, the government is requiring that all travelers provide a negative COVID-19 molecular test result taken within 72 hours of their entry into Canada. They must also take a test toward the end of their 14-day quarantine at home, a quarantine requirement which was mandated last year.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The government intends to have 16 testing sites operating at ports of entry across Canada for people arriving by car. Five will be available by Feb. 22 with 11 more activated by March 4.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Vaccinated Canadians will not be exempt from the requirements because research remains unclear as to whether people who received shots can still transmit the virus, the government says on its website.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cTravel is not easy now,\u201d Firestone said. \u201cThey\u2019ve made it very difficult with these layers of protection. But the layers are not protections. They\u2019re barriers.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Firestone wondered how Canada could cover all 117 entry points along its U.S. border. People flying home could land in a nearby American city such as Buffalo, N.Y., or Seattle, rent a car and drive across, though they would still need to present documentation of a test.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n There are tough fines of up to $3,000 for circumventing the government protocols. And the Canadian Armed Forces is deploying \u201creconnaissance teams\u201d to help with screenings at the border, according to CTV News.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Whether traveling by air or land, everyone is required to submit itineraries and contact information electronically \u2014 including a \u201csuitable\u201d quarantine plan \u2014 via the government\u2019s ArriveCAN app or online before crossing the border or boarding a flight.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Harper said she understands it\u2019s hard on everyone with business and family interests on both sides of the border.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cFlorida Realtors tell us Canadians are the biggest source of residential real estate [buyers,],\u201d she said. \u201cThis year is very tough. It\u2019s tough on Canadians who own or traditionally rent to snowbirds.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Visitors who elect to stay in the U.S. for an extended period of time can do so for up to six months according to a standing agreement between the two countries.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\nTough restrictions<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n