Help Ukrainians survive the war: LifeFunder
(LifeSiteNews) — Thousands of Ukrainians fleeing to Canada from their war-torn home nation are being subjected to mandatory testing for COVID-19 and must agree to a two-week isolated stay in quarantine before being granted access to the country.
An estimated 1,000,000 refugees have fled Ukraine in the week since Russia invaded, with at least 4,000 of those having made their way across the Atlantic to Canada’s shores in the hopes of finding asylum.
Despite the humanitarian crisis, refugees will face many of the same COVID-related restrictions imposed on international travelers arriving at the Canadian border, according to a report in Canada’s Western Standard.
Currently, foreign individuals arriving in Canada must have received a full regimen of inoculation against the novel coronavirus before being granted entry to the country, the government’s COVID travel guidelines state.
Canada’s Office of the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship confirmed that while most restrictions regarding entry will apply to those fleeing the Russian forces, “Canada has waived the vaccination requirement for eligible Ukrainian nationals who are escaping the conflict to come to Canada.”
Although lifting the COVID shot requirement, government guidelines state that “unvaccinated travellers” must enter a strict 14-day quarantine, “even if asymptomatic.” Additionally, for those who do not have a “suitable quarantine plan” in place before arriving, the government will send them to “a designated quarantine facility, upon the direction of a quarantine officer,” the rules state.
“Designated quarantine facilities meet public health guidelines for the purposes of accommodating travellers who may be COVID-19 positive, symptomatic, or do not have a suitable place to quarantine,” the guidance explains, adding that the government’s “ability to resettle refugees is restricted by the coronavirus (COVID-19) prevention measures in Canada.”
As things stand, some 60 percent of Ukraine’s 44 million inhabitants have not taken the abortion-tainted COVID-19 shots, making the country one of the least vaccinated in Europe. Around 35 percent of citizens have received two shots, with a further 1 percent having received at least one shot. The Western Journal reports that 1.7 percent have received a booster shot.
While the vaccine mandate for arrivals has been waived, all other requirements remain in place for those seeking asylum, including daily COVID-19 testing and reporting of the results, remaining in one’s “assigned room unless escorted by a facility staff member,” and wearing a face covering whenever speaking face-to-face with facility personnel, moving outside of the room by escort, or simply opening the door to receive meals.
The instructions add that individuals in quarantine must not use any shared spaces in the facility, accept guests, or leave the room for any reason outside a medical emergency or pre-authorization “by a government official.”
After refugees leave quarantine, it is yet unclear if they may board interprovincial flights to travel onwards from the point of entry, as Canadian citizens face a COVID jab requirement to do so.
The penalty for failing to comply with the strict orders include a 6-month prison sentence and up to $750,000 in fines. According to the Quarantine Act, individuals who break a mandatory quarantine and supposedly cause “death or serious bodily harm to another person” are liable to 3-year imprisonment and a fine up to $1,000,000 (CAD).
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal administration voted against a motion in Parliament Tuesday which would waive all visa requirements for Ukrainians seeking refuge in Canada — forwarded by the country’s New Democratic Party (NDP) — citing security concerns “if bad actors wished to enter the country,” CBC reported.