Three in five Canadians see hotel quarantine as “necessary” measure: study

Three-in-ten Canadians say the Canadian government should discontinue its mandatory three-day hotel quarantine policy for travellers, according to a new study from the Angus Reid Institute (ARI).

The non-profit organization conducted an online survey from April 5-8, 2021, among a sample of 1,577 Canadian adults who are members of Angus Reid Forum.

The sample pool was led overwhelmingly by past Conservative Party voters (51%) and 52% of respondents, overall, would keep the policy in place until at least September.

Despite reports of travellers avoiding hotel quarantine, which international arrivals must pay for at their own expense, and finding ways around it, three-in-five (58%) Canadians see it as a “necessary” measure.

Still, only half as many (30%) think the policy is effective at reducing the risk of COVID-19 to others.

Other travel insights

The new study offers other new insights into attitudes towards Canada’s travel restrictions.

Canadians are far more supportive of a mandatory two-week quarantine period for all travellers, regardless of their mode of return (80%), although one-third (37%) would exempt those who can prove they’ve been fully vaccinated on entry into Canada.

Asked when they think life will go “back to normal,” as it was pre-pandemic, 29% of Canadians now say it never will. This proportion has risen eight points since January, ARI reports.

Those who say they will not be vaccinated are twice as likely to say this compared to those who have been or plan to be, the study says.

Half of Canadians (51%) would still support a full ban on international travel, though this is a 14-point drop compared to January levels.

And finally, when asked when they would open the Canada-U.S. border fully to non-essential travel, more than half say either the fall (25%) or the end of the year (31%) is a reasonable target.

View the complete study here. 

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