A Medicine Hat doctor and family shortly before being quarantined in Calgary. (Image Supplied)

By Darren Rathwell

Medicine Hat family upset with federal quarantine in Calgary

Dec 8, 2021 | 5:41 PM

CALGARY – Count a Medicine Hat doctor and his family among many Canadians frustrated with being stuck in quarantine, despite their COVID-19 tests coming back negative.

Dr. Emad Salih, his wife and four of his children were returning from Egypt but found themselves quarantined in Calgary, a stop-over that lasted a day longer than they thought it would.

“You really have no choice but to stay until they come and release you from this facility,” Salih told CHAT News.

The city neurologist says he was helping one of his sons settle in as he started school in Egypt when new federal travel restrictions came in following developments with the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

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“We are taking action to prevent further importation and spread,” federal transportation minister Omar Alghabra said on Nov. 30.

The changes impact Canadians travelling from several African nations, who, before coming home, must travel to a third country to have a test for COVID-19.

The travellers must take yet another test on arrival in Canada, “and (are) required to wait in a designated quarantine facility until the result of their day one test is known,” Alghabra said.

But Salih, whose family went to Turkey for their second test, says his family’s third tests came back negative early Tuesday in Calgary.

He says his family is fully vaccinated, Wednesday was day four of their quarantine, and they were still in quarantine as of late Wednesday afternoon (however they were allowed to leave soon after this story was first published Wednesday).

“That was a shocker and prompted me to talk to you guys because I think the process is slow, delayed and inefficient,” Salih said.

He says their leave was delayed as they were placed in a queue.

And there were other issues they dealt with since arriving in Calgary, including a ban on ordering food from outside. Salih says his family is on a restricted diet consisting of only foods permitted for those observing Islamic teachings.

Before being cleared to leave, he added, “we’ve been here four days and the rooms have not been cleaned. The towels haven’t been changed. So I think that’s very inefficient and inappropriate as well.”

In a statement to CHAT News, the Public Health Agency of Canada said each air traveller must quarantine for two weeks, and they won’t be allowed to leave federal facilities until a negative test comes back, and their quarantine plan for another location is assessed.

This story was changed at 6:00 p.m. Dec. 8 to update the fact the family was allowed to leave quarantine late Wednesday afternoon.