Winnipeg snowbirds face tough decisions as travel options tighten

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This article was published 15/03/2020 (1752 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For many Winnipeggers travelling abroad, COVID-19 doesn’t just have them worried about their health, but about whether they’ll be able to make it back home at all.

On Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a sweeping travel ban, blocking most non-permanent residents from entering the country. Even Canadians showing symptoms will be barred entry, he said.

The announcement has some Winnipeggers fearing that they’re running out of time to get back home.

“Normally we don’t leave until the end of April,” said Manfred Kapitoler, 79, a Winnipegger who has spent winters in Florida with his wife for the past 24 years.

“But now we’re in the position of packing everything up, tying down and leaving as soon as possible.”

Kapitoler said he first started hearing news about COVID-19 a few weeks ago while vacationing in Hawaii. Since he and his wife got back to their Florida home, he said it has become clear the situation is getting dire.

“I saw a map on CNN where they showed the infection rate from last week to this week, so logic says it’s going to get increasingly worse. That’s when I thought we better make a decision to get out while we still can,” he said.

Kapitoler also noted that his U.S. health insurance runs out April 24. He isn’t sure if U.S. companies would renew his insurance given the COVID-19 pandemic and his age.

Assuming the weather isn’t bad, Kapitoler said he and his wife hope to leave by Thursday or Friday this week. They have a three-day drive back to Winnipeg.

He said he’s worried about finding hotels while on the road, but they could always sleep in their car if need be.

Karen Hendin has been in Aguascalientes City, Mexico, for the past five months. She’s decided to take the opposite approach: rather than head back to Canada, she plans to hunker down and ride out the worst of the pandemic where she is.

“When I first heard about (COVID-19), it’s not that I didn’t take it seriously, but not as seriously as I’m taking it right now. At this point, I feel like it’s a lot safer to stay here until it seems safe to go up north again,” the 67-year-old Hendin said.

“Down here, WestJet is cancelling flights left and right. I’m hearing stories of people going to the airport and only finding out there… I’ve seen pictures of airports right now and think that’s got to be the worst place you can be.”

Hendin said her son lives in Winnipeg, while her daughter, who works in a hospital, lives in Kelowna, B.C. She said she’s worried for their safety and has been keeping in close contact with them.

“It’s hard being away from your family. You just hope that everyone is taking the precautions that they should be, and you try to stay in touch more often,” she said.

“I do have a lot of older friends, some of whom have respiratory problems and whatnot, and I worry about them, too.”

Meanwhile, Kapitoler said that while he’s taking the pandemic seriously, he’s not that worried for his own personal well-being.

“I’m 79 years old. I’ve had a good life. If it happens, it happens,” he said. “I hope to live a few more years, but the reality is, no one gets out of here alive.”

ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @rk_thorpe