Interpretation services

Under the Quarantine Act, individuals entering the country must quarantine or isolate for 14-days (unless Border Services Officers determine they meet certain conditions in the Order in Council) to help reduce the risks of spreading COVID-19 in the Canadian population. This measure is necessary during the COVID-19 pandemic, as many individuals infected with COVID-19 remain asymptomatic, yet they can still infect other individuals.

As more individuals enter the country, it is important for the Public Health Agency of Canada to have the ability to communicate with all of these individuals even when they do not speak one of the official languages of Canada (English or French).

The objectives of the interpretation services include:

• to interpret questions from verification callers and responses from travelers to allow verification callers to assess whether:
  • individuals who have recently entered Canada understand the conditions of the mandatory 14-day quarantine or isolation,
  • these individuals are meeting the requirements of their quarantine or isolation, and understand the legal ramifications if they do not comply with the mandatory 14-day quarantine or isolation (e.g., potential visits from local authorities);
• to interpret information provided by verification callers to allow travelers the opportunity to receive guidance in the language of their choice (through the interpretation service) if they do not understand the material they received upon entry in the country (i.e., if they do not understand English or French); and,
• to interpret questions from travelers and answers from verification callers when travelers are in situations where it is more difficult to meet the conditions of quarantine or isolation (e.g., receive additional guidance on mitigation measures to reduce the risks of spreading the disease in the community).