Two passengers fined $16K for using fake vaccination cards to fly from US to Canada

Two airline passengers have been fined nearly $16,000 each for using fake vaccination cards to fly from the United States to Canada. 

In a statement on Friday, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) shared that during a July 18 flight from the U.S. to Toronto, authorities discovered that two passengers presented fraudulent COVID-19 vaccination credentials. 

PHAC said each passenger received four fines that total up to $19,720 in Canadian currency, or nearly $16,000.

Individuals who submit false vaccination information to authorities face criminal charges including a six-month stint in prison and a maximum fine of $750,000, according to the statement. 

“The Government of Canada will continue to investigate incidents reported and will not hesitate to take enforcement action where it is warranted to protect the health of Canadians from the further spread of COVID-19 and its variants of concern,” PHAC said. 

The latest fines come as Canadian health officials shared in July that travelers who are fully vaccinated can be exempt from quarantine requirements if they show proof of their vaccination and a negative COVID-19 test result, The Washington Post reported.

The Canadian health public agency reported 907 new COVID-19 cases and 17 COVID-19 related deaths on July 30. 

Many countries are seeing increased COVID-19 cases as the delta variant becomes the dominant strain of coronavirus around the globe.