American couple fined $2,000 in Canada for defying quarantine orders

Couple failed to self-isolate for mandatory 14 days

The US-Canada border will remain closed to all but essential travel (iStock / RiverNorthPhotography )

An American couple from Minnesota have been fined C$1,000 each (approximately $735) for disobeying Canada’s quarantine rules, put in place to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

According to Ontario Provincial Police, the two seniors entered Canada from the US by car at the Fort Frances crossing on 24 June and failed to self-isolate for the mandatory two weeks.

David and Anne Sippell live in Excelsior, Minnesota, just west of Minneapolis — about a five hour drive from the Canadian border. It is unknown what their plans were in Canada.

They were told by the Canada Border Services Agency to drive directly to their destination and quarantine for 14 days as stipulated by law.

The couple were seen flouting the rules several times in the town of Fort Frances, Global News reports.

Police have charged them under the federal Quarantine Act. Punishments for violating quarantine rules are harsh, dependent on the situation.

The Quarantine Act was originally to expire on 30 June, but was extended to 31 August. Authorities have been checking up on those in self-isolation to ensure compliance.

Canada has recorded more than 106,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19, and there have 8,684 officially recorded deaths.

At its peak Canada saw approximately 2,000 new cases per day. That figure has now dropped to approximately 230.