Rodney and Ekaterina Baker charged after flying to remote Canadian city of Yukon to get Covid-19 vaccine, officials say

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Yukon Minister of Community Services John Streicker said the couple showed up last Thursday at a mobile clinic in Beaver Creek, home of an Indigenous community.

One of them presented a medical card from British Columbia, and the other had one from Ontario, Streicker said in a statement.

The Bakers were not charged with any vaccines. Rather, they were accused of not following quarantine requirements after arriving in Canadian territory.

According to a cargo document, the Bakers are from Vancouver, British Columbia, southeast of the Yukon Territory.

“I am outraged by this selfish behavior and find it disturbing that people choose to put their Canadian peers at risk in this way,” Streicker said. “Reports claim that these people were misleading and violated emergency measures to their own advantage, which is totally unacceptable at any time, but especially during a public health crisis.”

CNN was unable to reach the Bakers on Tuesday to comment.

According to reports, a couple pretended to be employees of local motels

Indigenous communities are one of the priority groups for Covid-19 vaccinations, according to the Canadian vaccine guide. They are also often disproportionately affected by the new coronavirus because they may be in areas where access to health is limited.
Beaver Creek, Canada’s westernmost community, is home to the White Nation First Nation. It is located a few miles from the Alaska border.
The Bakers allegedly rented a plane from Whitehorse City in the Yukon to Beaver Creek, which has about 125 residents, and claimed they were employed at a local motel, Streicker told CBC CNC news partner.

Bakers arrived in the Yukon from Vancouver on Jan. 19 and were supposed to be isolated for 14 days in Whitehorse, according to officials. According to a complaint filed with law enforcement, they traveled to Beaver Creek on Jan. 21. The trip was not allowed due to quarantine requirements, officials said.

After receiving the shots, the couple raised suspicions in the community requesting a ride to the airport, Streicker told CBC CNC news partner.

“And people were saying,‘ Well, why would you go to the airport? “Streicker said.

After an investigation, the couple was located at Whitehorse Airport and Yukon officials told CNN that the couple left the territory the same day.

Mobile clinic team members called the motel and were told the couple was not working there, Streicker told CBC.

CNN contacted Streicker for comment on Tuesday, but did not know anything.

Traveling to Canada during the Covid-19: What You Need to Know Before You Go

As for vaccination, according to Streicker, health cards in British Columbia and Ontario would not necessarily have prevented the Bakers, as there are many out-of-territory workers in the region.

Rodney, 55, and Ekaterina Baker, 32, were charged with failing to isolate themselves for 14 days after entering the territory and failing to behave in a manner consistent with the statement filed upon entering the territory.

Charges under the Civil Emergency Measures Act (CEMA) may include fines of up to $ 500; up to 6 months in prison; or both, according to the orders and instructions of the Yukon Covid-19. The Bakers received a $ 500 fine and a $ 75 surcharge in both cases.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police were alerted to the situation. The RCMP office in Yukon said Tuesday it is investigating; he would not answer CNN’s questions.

The Great Canadian Gaming Corporation, a hotel and casino company with 25 Canadian properties, told CNN that while it did not comment on staff-related issues related to former employees, as of Jan. 24, Rodney Baker he was no longer the president and CEO of Great Canadian and “is no longer affiliated in any way with the company.”

“As a company, Great Canadian takes health and safety protocols extremely seriously and our company strictly follows all guidelines and guidelines issued by the public health authorities in each jurisdiction where we operate,” the statement added.

The White River First Nation said it was “particularly concerned about the insensitive nature of these actions by individuals, as they were a blatant disregard for the rules that keep our community safe during this unprecedented global pandemic.”

CNN’s Paula Newton and Carma Hassan contributed to this report.

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