Federal advisory fails to sway Winnipeggers against travel

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This article was published 20/12/2021 (1742 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Lujan and Madge Burakowski will fly to New York on Tuesday to spend the holidays with family members they haven’t seen in three years.

They have decided not to follow the federal government’s advice against non-essential travel outside Canada due to COVID-19’s Omicron variant. But the Dec. 15 announcement was delivered too late for the Winnipeg couple.

“I agree with the government’s plans to limit transportation, but the announcement came too late for us,” Lujan said. “We have been missing our family for years now.”

The couple booked flights to visit Lujan’s sister and her kids, whom they last saw in 2019, three months ago.

The Burakowskis said they visited New York during the holidays every year before the pandemic and had to cancel their trip in 2020.

They are vaccinated and have taken precautions in advance of travelling.

“We have been planning for months to ensure we are as safe and prepared as we can be,” Madge said. “We upgraded our masks to N-95, we bought face shields and got our third COVID-19 booster vaccine as soon as we could.”

The couple said cancelling their trip isn’t an option because they have done — and will continue to do — everything they can to protect themselves.

“Even when we get to New York, we won’t be leaving my sister’s house,” Lujan said. “We aren’t going out to restaurants or in public.”

Madge said there is always a risk when travelling during the pandemic, but she trusts the safety measures she has taken to protect herself.

Monday morning, Greg Opyc of Beausejour was gathering his luggage in the arrivals area of Winnipeg’s Richardson International Airport after his vacation in the Dominican Republic. He said he felt completely safe from COVID-19 during his travels.

“For the most part, people used common sense and followed the restrictions put in place by the resort,” he said. “There were few touch points, people wore masks and stayed socially distanced.”

Opyc had to present a negative PCR test to a WestJet employee before boarding his flight in the Caribbean nation.

When asked about an increase in cancellations due to the government’s recommendation, WestJet public relations manager Morgan Bell said the airline hasn’t experienced a significant change in operations.

“Our schedule remains unchanged at this time for our operations in Manitoba throughout the busy holiday season,” she said. “Many of our guests have chosen to purchase a travel protection plan at the time of booking their trip.”

Bell said the airline recently extended its “book with confidence” policy until Jan. 31, under which travellers pay a one-time charge and are protected from cancellation fees.

There is no indication the federal government will upgrade its non-essential travel advisory into a ban.

Opyc, who hadn’t left the country in two years, said he never feared being let back into the country due to increased travel restrictions.

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca