An Edmonton woman with extreme celiac disease says she has not eaten for at least 40 hours because she has not received gluten-free food at a quarantine hotel in Toronto.
Janet Game said she last ate around 4:30 a.m. EST on Saturday, December 4, while traveling from Ethiopia.
Janet and her husband Maku Game arrived in Toronto at 7:30 a.m. on December 4 and were ordered to remain in quarantine until they received a negative test for COVID-19 because Maku had been to South Africa 13 days earlier, where the Omicron variant of the coronavirus has spread.
As of November 30, Canada requires those who have been to South Africa within 14 days to remain in a designated quarantine facility while awaiting the results of an arrival test, even if they are fully vaccinated.
Read more:
Travel Restrictions and Omicron: What’s Changing in Canada, USA?
Maku has received three doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and Janet has received two doses.
Maku said they arrived at the Hilton hotel to be quarantined around 4:30 p.m. on December 4, but did not receive dinner that night.
The next morning, they also received no food. It wasn’t until lunchtime on December 5 that she said they had their first meal – a serving of crispy chicken that wasn’t gluten-free.
A one-serving meal that Janet and Maku Game received while in the quarantine hotel.
Maku game
Janet said she has severe celiac disease and her food can’t even be cross-contaminated with gluten. If you eat gluten, you will have a lot of pain and diarrhea, he said.
“I have to be careful.”
Maku said they told the hotel about the dietary restriction when they first arrived.
They said there is only one point of contact at the hotel, the Canadian Red Cross, and there is no one at the front desk.
They tried calling the Canadian Red Cross at least five times on December 5 and said they were on hold for up to an hour before contacting someone.
When they were finally able to reach a representative, they accepted their food request, but at dinner time, they again received a portion of a meal that was not gluten-free.
A meal Maku and Janet Game received that was not gluten free.
Maku game
Janet has been drinking sugar water to maintain her energy as she has to deal with a broken leg that was injured in Africa, she said.
Canada Red Cross spokeswoman Kirsten Long said the organization is investigating the problem and is “supporting returning travelers with immediate and emerging needs upon arrival, and is working as quickly as possible to help meet your unique needs. “
Global News contacted Public Safety Canada and Global Affairs Canada, but did not receive a response in time for publication.
Read more:
Canadians in South Africa face difficulties returning due to new Omicron rules
“I just want to go home, I haven’t eaten anything,” Janet told Global News. “I am extremely tired and exhausted.”
The Games cannot leave your room or take food orders, such as from Uber Eats or your family members who live nearby.
“It’s so scary,” Janet said of the hotel’s atmosphere. “You can’t see anyone. They put plastic from wall to wall.
“It’s like a science fiction world here. … They are taking it too far. “
They received a negative COVID-19 test result after making an effort to get the lab to speed it up, but are still waiting for public health to give them the go-ahead so they can board a flight back to Edmonton, where I’ve lived for 20 years.
They hope to catch a plane there on Monday morning.
“It’s terrible,” Maku said. “We comply with public health measures, but this treatment should not occur in Canada. Not even anywhere else. We say Canada: this kind of treatment shouldn’t happen anywhere.
“It is very shameful”.
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Reference-globalnews.ca