Stranded Canadians returning home to face strict action on not following self-isolation

Even as the seventh special flight bringing Canadians stranded in India back to the country departed on Tuesday, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had a stern warning for those arriving from abroad. If they don't have a viable self-isolation plan in place, the Government may place them during a facility apart from their residences for the mandatory 14-day period within the view of coronavirus crisis.

The Canadian Government had put in place those mandatory self-isolation rules on March 25, but they need now been strengthened under the Quarantine Act. On their arrival in Canada, the returning travellers will need to convince authorities they need an appropriate place to self-isolate for two weeks.

"We now have the authority to want them to self-isolate for two weeks during a quarantine location, like a hotel," Trudeau said during his daily media briefing associated with the COVID-19 crisis.

A residence can also be found unsuitable if it also houses people who could also be liable to the coronavirus like "elderly family members" or if the returnees do have a "set destination," Trudeau said.

Law implementation has been tasked with managing periodic checks like verifying that such returnees are following the self-isolation rules. Canada has barred foreign nationals from the country, aside from Americans, and is merely allowing in citizens, permanent residents or their immediate relatives.

More stringent measures may are necessitated by the attitude of a number of those returning to Canada. because the country's Chief Public Health Officer Dr Theresa Tam said, "We do a day find people that haven't answered our phone calls and need to be chased down."

So far, seven flights have left from India after the lockdown was announced. The most recent departed from Amritsar. Other flights, chartered to repatriate Canadians, took far from Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.

Trudeau had even earlier flagged concerns over those returning to the country. As he said earlier this month, "They pose a true risk, not just to their neighbours and their loved ones, but to our entire country. we'd like to make sure and that we will make sure that those people are properly isolated."

Violating the Quarantine Act in Canada could attract penalties starting from CA $750,000 to CA $1 million and between six months to 3 years in prison.