Canadians stuck abroad after testing positive for COVID-19 during a trip are warning others who are travelling during the Omicron wave to anticipate travel disruptions that could cost thousands of dollars and keep them away from home for much longer than expected.
While the ordeal can force the rescheduling of return flights, many Canadians say they also have to deal with the unexpected costs of additional accommodations, food and multiple PCR tests while isolating internationally.
Some also warn that the rules on how to return to Canada after testing positive are confusing and hard to navigate while abroad.
CTVNews.ca asked Canadians travelling abroad who tested positive and have been required to isolate at their own expense to share their stories. The responses were emailed to CTVNews.ca and have not all been independently verified.
Ontario resident Paula Bass has been stuck in Los Angeles for more than two weeks after testing positive for COVID-19 on Dec. 29 following a trip to visit family.
According to the federal government, Canadians must wait until the 15th day after their positive test result to return to Canada to avoid being fined $5,000 per traveller (plus surcharges). Starting Jan. 15, Canadians must only wait until the 11th day after a positive test result. If they have symptoms without a positive result, they must wait until the symptoms have ended and have a valid negative pre-entry test result.
While Bass says the travel disruption allowed her to spend extra time with her 89-year-old mother, she says the ordeal cost her over US$3,000 that she had not anticipated for.
If everything goes well, Bass is expected to return to Toronto Thursday afternoon.
Brennan Watson, who lives in Milverton, Ont., says he tested positive for COVID-19 while visiting friends in Ireland over the holidays. He was supposed to return to Canada Dec. 29 but due to isolation requirements there, Watson is currently still in Ireland and is expected to return home on Friday.
While he was able to safely isolate at a friends’ place in Northern Ireland, he had to incur the cost of changing his flight, which was roughly an extra CA$2,000.
Florence Belair told CTVNews.ca that her father and brother came to visit her in Florida earlier this month. They took the mandatory PCR test for their return trip to Montreal, however, Belair says they did not receive their positive results until they were already on their connecting flight to Chicago.
“They are now stuck in Chicago, forced to isolate in quarantine until Jan. 24. They have to rebook their flight, as well as pay for a hotel room for the entire 12 days,” she said.
The federal government requires all travellers to take a molecular test within 72 hours of the scheduled departure time of their flight to Canada.
If they have a connecting flight, the test must be taken within 72 hours of the scheduled departure time of the last direct flight to Canada to avoid having to quarantine mid trip. Because of this, the government says Canadians may need to schedule the molecular test in their transit city.
This means that all travellers coming back into Canada will have to take a molecular test in a country other than Canada, before their scheduled departure.
In addition to the pre-departure tests, the federal government has imposed randomized on-arrival testing requirements for air and land travellers coming from outside of Canada due to concerns over the Omicron variant.
This policy requires any travellers entering the country to be tested upon arrival—either at the airport or in some cases given a take-home test—and isolate until they receive a negative result, with the exception of travelling from the U.S.
On Dec. 15, the federal government reinstated its non-essential travel advisory, calling on all Canadians regardless of vaccination status to avoid international travel due to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.
“Many foreign governments are implementing strict travel restrictions due to spread of the Omicron variant and international transportation options may be limited. As a result, you may have difficulty returning to Canada, or may have to remain abroad for an indeterminate period,” the government warns in the advisory.
WHEN ONE TRAVELLER TESTS POSITIVE AND THE OTHER IS NEGATIVE
Rafael Luz and his wife travelled to New Haven, Connecticut to visit friends in December.
“Since the plan was easy, drive from Toronto to New Haven and back, it seemed like a safe plan, especially by avoiding airports and airplanes,” Luz said.
To return to Canada, they got PCR tests on Dec. 30. Luz said they received the results a few days later and found out that his wife was positive for COVID-19 and had to wait two weeks in order to return. However, Luz was negative.
Luz said he got two tests done on Jan. 3, one showing a negative result and the other, a positive one.
“With this, my wife would be able to return to Canada on the 12th, while I would only be able to return on the 16th,” he explained.
Luz said they are waiting until they are both cleared to return to Canada together. Since neither of them have symptoms and are both fully vaccinated, the U.S. Centres for Disease Control does not require them to quarantine while in New Haven unless they develop symptoms.
Sarah Paul of White Rock, B.C. is currently isolating with her 11-year-old son in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico. They left, with eight other people, for a two-week holiday on Dec. 26.
“We were very careful while away, following all protocols and precautions,” Paul said. “We took our PCR tests as required, and everyone tested negative, except for our 11-year-old son.”
“We made the decision as a family that everyone, my husband and daughter included, would fly home, and that I would be the one to stay behind with my son and isolate,” she added.
Paul said they are “completely fine” and her son has now fully recovered, after only having “very mild symptoms of congestion and stomach ache.”
While Paul said they were aware that testing positive “was always a possibility,” she says the experience of having to sort out what to do afterwards while abroad has been “very stressful.”
If Canadians are symptom-free after testing positive abroad, the federal government states that they can provide proof of a positive COVID-19 molecular test take two weeks prior to returning home, instead of a negative one.
However, Paul says she received an email from a North American company that specializes in medical tourism in Puerto Vallarta that said her son would need to be retested before leaving, and in the event that he tests positive again, he would need a doctor’s letter confirming that he is fully recovered.
Paul said she was told that the airline would require this before they’d allow him to board the flight. However, she says the airline seems “reluctant to answer these questions due to liability issues.”
“It is disorienting and unsettling to not really know what is expected of us, or to have an answer to give to our 11-year-old son, when he asks when he will be allowed to go home to Canada,” Paul said.
THE IMPORTANCE OF TRAVEL INSURANCE
Martin Firestone, president of Travel Secure, a Toronto-based travel insurance brokerage, told CTVNews.ca that Canadians can prepare for the possibility of staying abroad if they test positive for COVID-19 by purchasing an insurance policy that covers travel interruptions.
“The fear of testing positive and not being able to get back on a plane to head home is a serious concern,” Firestone said in a telephone interview Thursday, adding that insurers have recognized this and have adjusted policies accordingly.
Firestone said the average insurance policy with travel interruption will cover roughly $200 a day per person for 14 days to a maximum of $2,800, plus $500 towards the cost of purchasing new airfare.
While it may not seem like a lot of money, Firestone said it is “better than nothing.”
He noted that an insurance policy that includes trip interruption will cost approximately $50 to $75 a person, with the option to extend coverage should they need to stay longer at their destination to isolate at no additional cost.
In addition, Firestone said most insurance policies already cover medical expenses related to COVID-19 should someone become severely ill or need hospitalization abroad.
“That has been a savior for many people who had the foresight to buy it prior to going on their trip,” he said.
Firestone stressed the importance of travellers being “properly covered” if they plan to vacation during the Omicron wave.
“If you didn’t buy it, you have to cover all your expenses, buy new airfare home, and needless to say, that can add up to a tremendous expense depending on what resort you’re in,” he said.
Edited by CTVNews.ca producer Sonja Puzic
Correction:
This story was updated to clarify that entry requirements for travellers coming to Canada include a negative molecular COVID-19 test, which may include, but is not limited to, a PCR test.
Montreal Alouettes wide receiver Tyson Philpot has announced he will be out for the rest of the CFL season.
The Delta, B.C., native posted the news on his Instagram page Thursday.
“To Be Continued. Shoutout my team, the fans of the CFL and the whole city of Montreal! I can’t wait to be back healthy and write this next chapter in 2025,” the statement read.
Philpot, 24, injured his foot in a 33-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Aug. 10 and was placed on the six-game injured list the next week.
The six-foot-one, 195-pound receiver had 58 receptions, 779 yards and five touchdowns in nine games for the league-leading Alouettes in his third season.
Philpot scored the game-winning touchdown in Montreal’s Grey Cup win last season to punctuate a six-reception, 63-yard performance.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sustained a concussion for the third time in his NFL career, leaving his team’s game Thursday night against Buffalo after running into defensive back Damar Hamlin and hitting the back of his head against the turf.
Tagovailoa remained down for about two minutes before getting to his feet and walking to the sideline after the play in the third quarter. He made his way to the tunnel not long afterward, looking into the stands before smiling and departing toward the locker room.
The Dolphins needed almost no time before announcing it was a concussion. The team said he had two during the 2022 season, and Tagovailoa was diagnosed with another concussion when he was a college player at Alabama.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Tagovailoa would get “proper procedural evaluation” and “appropriate care” on Friday.
“The furthest thing from my mind is, ‘What is the timeline?’ We just need to evaluate and just worry about my teammate, like the rest of the guys are,” McDaniel said. “We’ll get more information tomorrow and take it day by day from here.”
Some players saw Tagovailoa in the locker room after the game and said they were encouraged. Tagovailoa spoke with some players and then went home after the game, McDaniel said.
“I have a lot of love for Tua, built a great relationship with him,” said quarterback Skylar Thompson, who replaced Tagovailoa after the injury. “You care about the person more than the player and everybody in the organization would say the same thing. Just really praying for Tua and hopefully everything will come out all right.”
Tagovailoa signed a four-year, $212 million extension before this season — a deal that makes him one of the highest-paid players in the NFL — and was the NFL’s leading passer in Week 1 this season. Tagovailoa left with the Dolphins trailing 31-10, and that was the final score.
“If you know Tua outside of football, you can’t help but feel for him,” Bills quarterback Josh Allen said on Amazon following the game. “He’s a great football player but he’s an even greater human being. He’s one of the best humans on the planet. I’ve got a lot of love for him and I’m just praying for him and his family, hoping everything’s OK. But it’s tough, man. This game of football that we play, it’s got its highs and it’s got its lows — and this is one of the lows.”
Tagovailoa’s college years and first three NFL seasons were marred by injury, though he positioned himself for a big pay bump with an injury-free and productive 2023 as he led the Dolphins into the playoffs. He threw for 29 touchdowns and a league-best 4,624 yards last year.
When, or if, he can come back this season is anyone’s guess. Tagovailoa said in April 2023 that the concussions he had in the 2022 season left him contemplating his playing future. “I think I considered it for a time,” he said then, when asked if he considered stepping away from the game to protect himself.
McDaniel said it’s not his place to say if Tagovailoa should return to football. “He’ll be evaluated and we’ll have conversations and progress as appropriate,” McDaniel said.
Tagovailoa was hurt Thursday on a fourth-down keeper with about 4:30 left in the third. He went straight ahead into Hamlin and did not slide, leading with his right shoulder instead.
Hamlin was the player who suffered a cardiac arrest after making a tackle during a Monday night game in January 2023 at Cincinnati, causing the NFL to suspend a pivotal game that quickly lost significance in the aftermath of a scary scene that unfolded in front of a national television audience.
Tagovailoa wound up on his back, both his hands in the air and Bills players immediately pointed at him as if to suggest there was an injury. Dolphins center Aaron Brewer quickly did the same, waving to the sideline.
Tagovailoa appeared to be making a fist with his right hand as he lay on the ground. It was movement consistent with something that is referred to as the “fencing response,” which can be common after a traumatic brain injury.
Tagovailoa eventually got to his feet. McDaniel grabbed the side of his quarterback’s head and gave him a kiss on the cheek as Tagovailoa departed. Thompson came into the game to take Tagovailoa’s spot.
“I love Tua on and off the football field,” Bills edge Von Miller said. “I’m a huge fan of him. I can empathize and sympathize with him because I’ve been there. I wish him the best.”
Tagovailoa’s history with concussions — and how he has since worked to avoid them — is a huge part of the story of his career, and now comes to the forefront once again.
He had at least two concussions during the 2022 season. He was hurt in a Week 3 game against Buffalo and cleared concussion protocol, though he appeared disoriented on that play but returned to the game.
The NFL later changed its concussion protocol to mandate that if a player shows possible concussion symptoms — including a lack of balance or stability — he must sit out the rest of the game.
Less than a week later, in a Thursday night game at Cincinnati, Tagovailoa was concussed on a scary hit that briefly knocked him unconscious and led to him being taken off the field on a stretcher.
His second known concussion of that season came in a December game against Green Bay, and he didn’t play for the rest of the 2022 season. After that, Tagovailoa began studying ways where he may be able to fall more safely and protect himself against further injury — including studying jiu-jitsu.
“I’m not worried about anything that’s out of my hands,” McDaniel said. “I’m just worried about the human being.”
NEW YORK (AP) — When her husband turns on the television to hear news about the upcoming presidential election, that’s often a signal for Lori Johnson Malveaux to leave the room.
It can get to be too much. Often, she’ll go to a TV in another room to watch a movie on the Hallmark Channel or BET. She craves something comforting and entertaining. And in that, she has company.
While about half of Americans say they are following political news “extremely” or “very” closely, about 6 in 10 say they need to limit how much information they consume about the government and politics to avoid feeling overloaded or fatigued, according to a new survey from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and USAFacts.
Make no mistake: Malveaux plans to vote. She always does. “I just get to the point where I don’t want to hear the rhetoric,” she said.
The 54-year-old Democrat said she’s most bothered when she hears people on the news telling her that something she saw with her own eyes — like the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol — didn’t really happen.
“I feel like I’m being gaslit. That’s the way to put it,” she said.
Sometimes it feels like ‘a bombardment’
Caleb Pack, 23, a Republican from Ardmore, Oklahoma, who works in IT, tries to keep informed through the news feeds on his phone, which is stocked with a variety of sources, including CNN, Fox News, The Wall Street Journal and The Associated Press.
Yet sometimes, Pack says, it seems like a bombardment.
“It’s good to know what’s going on, but both sides are pulling a little bit extreme,” he said. “It just feels like it’s a conversation piece everywhere, and it’s hard to escape it.”
Media fatigue isn’t a new phenomenon. A Pew Research Center survey conducted in late 2019 found roughly two in three Americans felt worn out by the amount of news there is, about the same as in a poll taken in early 2018. During the 2016 presidential campaign, about 6 in 10 people felt overloaded by campaign news.
But it can be particularly acute with news related to politics. The AP-NORC/USAFacts poll found that half of Americans feel a need to limit their consumption of information related to crime or overseas conflicts, while only about 4 in 10 are limiting news about the economy and jobs.
It’s easy to understand, with television outlets like CNN, Fox News Channel and MSNBC full of political talk and a wide array of political news online, sometimes complicated by disinformation.
“There’s a glut of information,” said Richard Coffin, director of research and advocacy for USAFacts, “and people are having a hard time figuring out what is true or not.”
Women are more likely to feel they need to limit media
In the AP-NORC poll, about 6 in 10 men said they follow news about elections and politics at least “very” closely, compared to about half of women. For all types of news, not just politics, women are more likely than men to report the need to limit their media consumption, the survey found.
White adults are also more likely than Black or Hispanic adults to say they need to limit media consumption on politics, the poll found.
Kaleb Aravzo, 19, a Democrat, gets a baseline of news by listening to National Public Radio in the morning at home in Logan, Utah. Too much politics, particularly when he’s on social media sites like TikTok and Instagram, can trigger anxiety and depression.
“If it pops up on my page when I’m on social media,” he said, “I’ll just scroll past it.”
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Sanders reported from Washington. David Bauder writes about media for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder.
The AP poll of 1,019 adults was conducted July 29-August 8, 2024, using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4.0 percentage points.
