Even during COVID-19 some people want to learn the hard way. 2 months ago a US citizen allegedly breached a quarantine order in the Alberta rockies. RCMP say they received a call from a staff member at a Banff hotel about a man who was initially ticketed in June for $1200 dollars. Now for allegedly violating a quarantine order in the Alberta Rockies, 40 year old John Pennington of Kentucky could face a fine of up to $750,000 or six months in jail.
American visitors have been able to exploit the system using a loophole that provides them entry into Canada via Alaska. RCMP Cpl. Tammy Keibel in Calgary said “RCMP attended the hotel and as a result of their investigation, they found a second individual in his presence, a female from Calgary, and found him to be breaching the requirements to quarantine while he travelled through Alberta so he was issued a ticket under the Alberta Public Health Act".
After receiving two complaints someone found a car with American plates in a parking lot close to the gondola to Sulphur Mountain. Kiebel said “They located Mr. Pennington up on Sulphur Mountain. As a result of him again allegedly being in violation of the quarantine through his travels, there was some consultation with a quarantine officer in Calgary and the decision was made to charge Mr. Pennington under the federal Quarantine Act, he was arrested and subsequently released for a court date in November.”
According to Officer Keibel there were nine tickets given out in Alberta in June and one charge under the Quarantine Act but she didn't know of any others.
She also went onto say those violating the rules are given strict instructions and Pennington had been warned before . “You don’t expect it. You would hope people would follow the direction provided and comply with the laws in place, especially after it was made clear what the expectations are".
Keibel said Pennington was removed from the park and told to go on his journey.
Further enforcement came into play at the end of July for Americans entering Canada who say they are headed to Alaska. According to The Canada Border Services Agency the five crossings mentioned below are the ones through which entry for travellers can happen.
Abbotsford-Huntingdon (B.C.), Kingsgate (B.C.), Osoyoos (B.C.), Coutts (Alberta) and North Portal (Saskatchewan).
Drivers are allowed to stay for sometime to make transit and are limited to travel within Canada using the best route to Alaska.
They are banned from leisure sites and tourist areas and receive a tag that can be hung in their rear view mirror to eliminate any possibility of forgetting with the tag showing the date of departure.
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