SASKATOON -- Anxious travellers coming into Canada say they are waiting more than six hours trying to book a COVID-19 quarantine hotel through a government phone number, with many unable to get through at all.
Pritam Divecha, who was supposed to be returning to Canada on Monday morning, said he鈥檚 currently sitting in an Indian airport worried if he鈥檒l even be allowed to take off.
For the past several days, Divecha, his wife, and his friend in Toronto have attempted multiple calls to book a hotel, including some lasting approximately three hours, according to call logs shared with CTVNews.ca.
鈥淚 feel absolutely exhausted and I haven鈥檛 even boarded my flight,鈥 he told CTVNews.ca via a Twitter direct message on Sunday. He鈥檚 unsure if he鈥檒l be allowed to board the first of two connecting flights to Toronto, or if he鈥檒l be denied boarding during his layover in a Qatar airport.
鈥淚 have only slept three hours, approximately, but still haven't been able to have my booking done. On top of that, I have a 23-hour journey ahead with no idea of what will happen when I reach there.鈥
Under the new rules, which go into effect Sunday night, travellers returning to Canada will be required to take a COVID-19 test at the airport at their own expense. Then, they鈥檙e required to spend the first three days of their quarantine at a supervised hotel while awaiting their results, and footing the bill for their stay, which could cost upwards of $2,000. Since Thursday, travellers have been required to book their government-authorized hotel stay in advance.
Several others who booked their flights before the new rules were announced told CTVNews.ca that their calls to book a room were automatically disconnected after three hours. So they were forced to call again and wait in the queue all over again.
鈥淭he Public Health Agency of Canada is aware that the hotel booking phone line is receiving a high volume of calls at the moment. We thank everyone for their patience,鈥 Tammy Jarbeau, senior spokesperson for the agency, said in an email.
But when asked if travellers like Divecha will be turned away from Canada without a hotel booking, Jarbeau said PHAC would respond to that question by Monday.
She also didn鈥檛 give specifics as to why the phone lines are clogged or if they are understaffed to deal with the high volume of calls. But she did advise that 鈥渙nly travellers who are ready to reserve a room and have a flight to Canada booked should call the hotel booking number.鈥
LONG WAIT TIMES
In an email, Ontario resident David Buttrum said he鈥檚 been trying to book a flight for his daughter who is currently overseas, and whose visa is set to expire soon. He said 鈥渃learly they have not employed enough people to handle the calls.鈥
鈥淚t's not even possible to comply with these new restrictions as is because you cannot get through on the phone line,鈥 he said, adding he鈥檚 been on the phone close to 10 hours in total.
He鈥檚 said he鈥檚 also been in touch with his MP for help.
鈥淭hey have told me if she doesn't book before she travels, she will be denied boarding and if by some way she can board her flight and she has not booked a hotel before arriving, she will be fined up to $3,000 per day under the Quarantine Act.鈥
Despite PHAC saying they鈥檝e enlisted specialized travel counselors to provide 鈥渞ound-the-clock service鈥 to help travellers make the bookings, some say it鈥檚 not enough.
The issue is frustrating for Vaughan, Ont. resident Gurbinder Singh, who has been calling the phone line on behalf of his wife, who is scheduled to travel from India on Tuesday. He said he鈥檚 been on hold for six hours in total.
鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 sleep yesterday,鈥 he told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very frustrating and it creates tension in your mind that you don鈥檛 know what鈥檚 going to happen.鈥
The delay is especially hard for Singh, who has already waited two years to be reunited with his wife. The pandemic has thrown wrenches into their plans several times over the past 11 months.
He says the government should have allowed people to book rooms at approved hotels online 鈥渋nstead of having congestion鈥 on the phone lines. Or he said the government should have allowed people to book through designated hotels and be assigned information, which could have been posted onto an online government portal.
Montrealer Raymond Riccoboni also agreed with the idea of some sort of online booking system because of the difficulty he鈥檚 experienced trying to book on the phone.
He called the phone line on behalf of his wife, who is set to fly into Toronto from China on Monday. On Saturday, he said he waited for more than six hours in total before finally connecting with an agent -- with the booking itself taking at least 25 minutes.
鈥淩ight now, I鈥檓 really disillusioned with the whole process. They could鈥檝e done a better job. This is a spur-of-the-moment Band-Aid solution that the government came up with,鈥 he told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview.
On Monday morning, Riccoboni鈥檚 wife is expected to fly into Toronto Pearson Airport, one of several designated airports allowing international flights in. And once she stays the mandatory three days in the hotel room and her COVID-19 test comes back negative, Riccoboni says he鈥檒l be driving to Toronto to pick her up himself in order to avoid any more flight or travel hassles.
As to whether he had any advice for other travellers, he said bluntly: 鈥渏ust keep trying. I mean, there鈥檚 nothing else you can do. Absolutely nothing.鈥
With files from CTVNews.ca writer Nicole Bogart
