Do people 18 years of age have to hotel quarantine in B.C.?

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Question:

Susanne asks, “Do unaccompanied 18-year-old minors need to do mandatory hotel when arriving by air to Vancouver, B.C.? My twins are 18 years of age arriving from Frankfurt to Vancouver. They are Canadian citizens. In B.C. they are minors under the Act of Majority. Does this exempt them for the hotel stop over?”

Answer:

Health Canada says anyone 18 years and older flying into the country has to spend up to three nights in a government-designated hotel at their own expense while they await the results of a COVID-19 test.

The age of majority in a province is not a factor in the determination, Health Canada wrote in a statement.

People who are younger than 18, travelling unaccompanied, and without a person 18 or older to stay with in a hotel are allowed to travel directly to their final place, but must still quarantine for 14 days once they get there.

Anyone flying into Canada must book and pay for a three-night hotel stopover before they arrive in the country, even if they have been vaccinated for COVID-19, tested negative on a pre-entry test, travelled for compassionate reasons such as a funeral or to care for a loved one, and even if they have a place to quarantine alone once they arrive.

The only other people who are exempt from the hotel stop over are those who have recently recovered from COVID-19 and have proof of a positive COVID-19 molecular test taken between 14 to 90 days before travel; a person 18 years or older travelling alone who is dependent on someone else for care or support for their mental or physical limitations; those exempt from the arrival test; those on a list of government exemptions, and some temporary foreign workers.

Following a hotel quarantine stay, anyone flying into Canada must quarantine at their final destination for however long it takes them to complete 14 days worth of quarantine.

When getting from a hotel to your final destination, you’re encouraged to keep your face mask on at all times, and to travel there in a private vehicle.

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