Travellers from South Africa report prolonged stays in quarantine hotels — at taxpayers' expense

Several Canadians who recently travelled home from South Africa told CBC News they were forced to stay in government-funded quarantine hotels for an extra 23 to 36 hours after receiving negative COVID-19 test results.

"It's a complete waste of tax money, and I think it's an embarrassing way to treat Canadians," said Simon Dragland.

Dragland, a TV producer who was in Cape Town for work, flew home to Toronto on Dec. 5 and was sent to a quarantine hotel. He said he got his negative test result the next day, but then didn't hear from the federal government until 36 hours later, when a government official finally approved his release.

"I left the hotel pretty angry at the entire process," he said. "The real frustration here is the complete lack of organization or communication."

After the new omicron variant was identified in South Africa late last month, Ottawa recently mandated that Canadian air passengers from that country and nine others in Africa face stricter travel rules, including a COVID-19 test upon arrival. They also must spend part of a required 14-day quarantine in a government-designated hotel while awaiting the test results.

Foreign nationals who have travelled through any of the 10 countries flagged in the last 14 days are barred from entering Canada altogether.

CBC News interviewed four Canadians who travelled home from South Africa this month. Each said that after receiving their negative test results, they had to wait in their quarantine hotel for another day or two before they were officially released.

The travellers said they were eventually released via a phone call from a Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) official, who in three out of the four cases, checked that they had a suitable post-hotel quarantine plan. 

The travellers all complained that the wait to be released was frustrating and a drain on taxpayer dollars, because Ottawa is footing the bill for the quarantine hotel stays. 

"I stayed two nights to get my test results. I stayed another two nights after I got my negative test results, doubling the cost unnecessarily," said Alyna Wyatt, an economist who was in Johannesburg for work and flew home to Toronto on Dec. 2. 

After getting her negative test results, Wyatt said she spent close to 36 extra hours in her quarantine hotel room before getting permission to leave.

"You start feeling helpless," she said about the wait. "You feel like you're in this black hole."

Wyatt said her release came shortly after she pleaded her case to two nurses stationed at the hotel, who had dropped by to take her temperature.

"I asked the nurses … 'At what point do I throw myself on the floor, wailing and screaming and throwing a temper tantrum for someone to pay attention to me?'" she said. "Their response was they're working through the backlog."