Advocates critical of new worker quarantine rules

Migrant rights advocates say federal changes to quarantine requirements for temporary foreign workers do nothing to protect them from COVID-19.

Ottawa announced adjustments Tuesday that mean workers arriving in Canada will no longer be exempt from quarantine hotels for incoming travellers.

As of March 21, workers who do not have private transportation to their places of employment have to wait in quarantine hotels until they receive the results of a COVID-19 test all travellers have to take on arrival.

Asymptomatic foreign workers who have private transportation can head to their work locations to quarantine.

The Migrant Workers Alliance says the changes do not address requests for better housing and better enforcement surrounding working conditions during the pandemic.

BREAKING: "Announcement by the federal government promises to "better protect foreign workers" but does nothing of the sort..."

We call on @JustinTrudeau to ensure #StatusforAll. Without it, all other measures fail to protect migrant workers.

Sign: https://t.co/y9KjMbYsEf pic.twitter.com/4cWW7b1kXv

— Migrant Workers Alliance for Change (@MWACCanada) March 16, 2021

The group is also asking the federal government to give workers permanent immigration status.