Sometimes you end up paying way more on the backend for trying to cut corners on the frontend, and two Canadian airline passengers recently found that out the hard way. When leaving the United States and entering Canada, the travelers submitted fabricated COVID-19 vaccination cards and COVID-19 test results, and they also failed to follow the Canadian government’s requirement of utilizing government-authorized accommodations. As a result, they were hit with massive fines that they may very well struggle to pay.
According to Complex, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has punished the Canadian citizens for being “non-compliant with entry requirements” by dishing out four fines for each traveler. As a result, both of them will have to individually cough up a total of $19,720 (roughly $16,000 USD).
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As wild as it may seem, however, it looks like the two previously mentioned airline travelers actually got off with a light punishment. According to the PHAC’s press release on the matter, “a person who submits false information on vaccination status could be subject to a fine of up to $750,000 or six months imprisonment or both, under the Quarantine Act, or prosecution under the Criminal Code for forgery.”