Canadian officials have charged two American travellers and fined them more than $A21,000 each for providing fake Covid-19 vaccination documents.
The unnamed travellers arrived from the US into Canada in mid-July. Officials from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) fined each traveller four times for a total of $CA19,720 ($A21,415) per traveller.
The fake documents consisted of proof of vaccinations and pre-departure tests. Officials also cited the pair for “non-compliance” with government requirements for accommodation and on-arrival testing, according to a PHAC press release.
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The American travellers were fined for violating Canada’s public health rules. File image. Picture: Cole Burston/Getty Images North America/AFP
Canada introduced travel requirements in January mandating that any incoming traveller must provide a negative Covid test before boarding a plane. Further, all travellers arriving by air need to stay at a government-approved hotel for three nights, or until they receive a negative test.
The hotel stay can cost more than $CA1500 ($A1629).
The agency also stressed that all travellers are obligated to answer questions truthfully and providing false information is a serious offence.
Like Australia, Canada requires all incoming travellers to quarantine at a government-approved facility, however it is only for three nights or until they produce a negative test result. Picture: Cole Burston/Getty Images North America/AFP
“Violating any quarantine or isolation instructions provided to travellers by a screening officer or quarantine officer when entering Canada is also an offence under the Quarantine Act and could lead to a $5000 ($A5430) fine for each day of noncompliance or for each offence committed, or more serious penalties, including six months in prison and/or $750,000 ($A814,456) in fines,” the PHAC noted.
The Canadian Border Service Agency said it is working closely with “domestic and international partners” to discover falsified documents.
This article originally appeared on Fox News and was reproduced with permission
