OTTAWA -- One of the busiest travel days of the year at the Ottawa International Airport turned out to be a quiet one.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s call to curtail all non-essential international travel due to COVID-19 had many vacationers cancelling trips to sunny destinations or changing plans at the last minute.
Despite the concerns, Bo Kopcewicz and her son Micheal are still going ahead with their trip to Mexico. They booked the trip over a month ago.
"I just want to live a normal life... pretend at least" says Kopcewicz.
Micheal says he is “just excited for my week off.”
They are still concerned about travelling though: “not enough to stay home, but obviously a little bit about coming back.” They’re worried that they may be quarantined once they return.
Some families decided to modify their travel plans, or cancel all together.
Bill Carroll of the Morning Rush on News Talk 580 CFRA cancelled his trip to an all-inclusive resort in the Dominican,
"What a heart break to tell the kids -- you're not going anywhere.”
Carroll waited until the last moment to cancel, "just thinking about how you're going to worry --what if you get trapped out of the country, what if you can't get home, what if you don't get on that flight; what if you get sick when you're in a foreign country - we just couldn't do it.”
While the Ottawa Airport was quieter than normal, there were still passengers flying out of Ottawa.
Horan, an international student, is headed back to China; “My parents were worried for me.”
Some families had to make changes to trips already booked, deciding they still wanted to enjoy a March Break trip anywhere.
"We were going to go on a Caribbean Cruise, departing from Fort Lauderdale" says 9-year-old Colton.
Instead, they will be flying across the country to visit relatives.
"We're going to B.C. now,” explains his 7-year-old sister Ashlyn.
