Posted at 12:00 am
Travelers are being bombarded with misleading advice to self-isolate upon their return. The Canada Border Services Agency acknowledges the failures, but assures a limited number of people will be affected.
Computer problem with the application Reach CAN It has caused confusion among fully vaccinated travelers receiving quarantine notifications on pain of worrying penalties.
Photo by GIORDANO CIAMPINI, Canadian Press Archives
App Reach CAN
Since returning from Barbados on July 16, Christian Allaire has been receiving isolation warnings from the government. She also receives emails asking to send the result of the COVID-19 test to 8 peoplee His quarantine day. Notifications are sent daily to track symptom status.
Failure to honor isolation can result in thousands of dollars in fines, she testified Press.
Triple-vaccinated against COVID-19, Christiane Allaire does not meet the Canadian government’s isolation standards, which quarantine symptomatic Canadian travelers who have received less than two doses of the vaccine or test positive for COVID-19, requiring her quarantine to be respected. .
“We don’t want a penalty,” says Christian Allaire, who is committed to teleworking.
Without an answer
The same scenario happened to Frédéric Verville, who returned from the United States on July 14. After crossing the Canadian border, she received emails from the government telling her to self-isolate for 14 days or face jail and a fine of up to $750,000. Press. However, at customs, she is authorized to return to Canada unaccompanied, she adds.
Worried about sanctions, she tried to contact the authorities several times. Without an answer. She resumed her daily activities after confirming with her regional deputy, Donald Martel, that Frédéric Verville insisted was a mistake.
Both passengers shared their concerns on social media. Their publication provoked many comments: they were not the only ones.
A computer problem with the app was reported earlier this week Reach CAN, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) confirmed to us via email. Service Canada doesn’t know how long the bug has been around. The CBSA said 3% of consumers received “automatic notifications” of quarantine in error.
For example, more than 1 million travelers entered Canada during the week of July 4-10, according to the latest CBSA data. Tens of thousands of people received false noticesReach CAN.
A technical solution came into effect on Wednesday evening. The CBSA says travelers should still “answer phone calls and follow government recommendations.” To avoid receiving these false alerts, travelers are advised to use the latest version of the app.
Passports: Delays still “unacceptable”
Canada’s passport crisis has eased, but wait times are “unacceptable,” says Employment and Social Development Canada Press.
The queue extended Thursday morning in front of the Guy-Favreau Complex passport office in Montreal. Service Canada estimated wait times in the metropolitan area of Montreal on Thursday afternoon were more than four hours.
Sandra Blouin, first with her daughter, arrived at 5 a.m. in front of the passport office on René-Lévesque Boulevard. He was to leave the country for America on the same day. “It’s very well organized,” she said Press Before entering the Guy-Favreau complex. Passengers are classified according to their departure date: priority for those traveling within the next 48 hours and those leaving the country within the next 10 days.
The situation is more complicated for online applications and delays by mail are even longer. The next available appointments are mid-September for those traveling within the next 45 working days. Appointments are not available for longer tours.
Abdullah Ahsan is in line Thursday morning at the Guy-Favreau Complex. He is still awaiting a response to his request submitted in April. Agathe Chamussy, 17, was unable to get her passport two months after she applied for it.
To expedite the processing of applications, Service Canada Center employees are working overtime. Employment and Social Development Canada says some even work on weekends.
“The situation with passport services is not yet back to normal, but we continue to see improvements,” federal Families, Children and Social Development Minister Karina Gould said in a statement on Tuesday.
54,312 passports were issued in the week of July 4, compared to 44,636 in the previous week.
