Trudeau, Canadian delegation check-in to quarantine hotel after overseas trip

OTTAWA — Canada’s prime minister has checked in at the final stop from his trip overseas. 

Trudeau and the rest of the Canadian delegation who travelled to the United Kingdom and Belgium checked in at a three-star hotel near the Ottawa airport Tuesday evening to begin a 14-day quarantine.

Canada introduced a rule earlier in the year that those entering the country by air without an exemption have to stay at a government-approved hotel for up to three nights before going home to finish the rest of their quarantine.

Trudeau’s office has said the prime minister, as well as his official delegation, will follow all the same COVID-19 travel rules being asked of Canadians.

The Opposition Conservatives have railed against the fact the prime minister isn’t staying at one of the same government-authorized hotels citizens have to choose from. 

Where he and the rest of the delegation were staying was quiet Tuesday evening. 

Journalists and government staff were given rooms on the same floor and greeted by boxed lunches. 

Those in the delegation are expected to not leave the hotel room until negative results return from a COVID-19 test that was administered when they arrived. 

Trudeau and those on the trip were tested nearly ten times for COVID-19 several days before the flight left Ottawa for Europe last week. 

An expert advisory panel recently told the Liberal government it should phase out the policy of forcing people to stay in quarantine hotels, because it doesn’t follow science and contains too many loopholes to be consistently followed.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 15, 2021

Stephanie Taylor, The Canadian Press