Vancouver couple charged after chartering plane in Yukon and getting COVID-19 vaccine, say officials

VANCOUVER -- A Vancouver couple is being accused of jumping the queue for the COVID-19 vaccine after they travelled to Yukon to get vaccinated.

Officials say the pair chartered a small plane to Beaver Creek, Yukon, where they were able to get the Moderna vaccine at a mobile clinic by saying they were local workers.

"We're pretty upset here,” said John Streicker, Yukon Community Services Minister.

“(We’re) really frustrated that these two Canadians would come to the Yukon while we're trying to keep our communities safe and they went to one of our smaller communities and they put that community at risk,” he said.

Streicker said the man and woman filled out self-isolation declarations upon arriving in the territory, but didn’t follow the isolation rules.

They were intercepted and charged at Whitehorse Airport while trying to leave .

The pair now face charges under the Yukon Civil Emergency Measures Act. The charges come with a maximum fine of $500 and up to six months in jail.

Correction:

Jan. 23: A previous version of this story stated the people had been arrested. In fact, they were intercepted and charged.

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  Whitehorse General Hospital is seen in an undated image. A couple who gave a Vancouver, B.C. address is accused of travelling to the Yukon to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and failing to self-isolate upon their arrival.