Road trip: Rod and Ekaterina Baker caused widespread anger when they traveled to Yukon to jump the line for a vaccine in January. (Image: Globalnews.ca)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe Globe and Mail<\/em> reports that the Bakers failed to attend their first court hearing for breaking Yukon quarantine rules. Their lawyer, Jennie Cunningham, was present, however, and successfully applied for an adjournment for two weeks. She cited ongoing discussions between the Crown prosecutor and the couple\u2019s legal representatives.<\/p>\nThe couple were charged on January 23 after receiving their vaccinations in Beaver Creek, a small community a stone\u2019s throw from the Alaska border. The town is home to the White River First Nation and was among the first communities in Canada to receive the shot.<\/p>\n
Gaming the System<\/strong><\/h2>\nThe Bakers, who are 55 and 32, chartered a flight from Yukon capital Whitehorse to an airstrip a mile outside Beaver Creek. There, they allegedly told staff at a mobile vaccination clinic they had been recently hired as hotel workers and were therefore eligible for the jab.<\/p>\n
But the couple stood out like millionaires at a remote Yukon mobile vaccination clinic. They were stopped on their return to Whitehorse Airport and charged under the Civil Emergency Measures Act with failing to self-isolate for 14 days and \u201cfailing to act in a manner consistent with their declarations upon arriving in the Yukon.\u201d They were initially fined C$2,300.<\/p>\n
\n
But the story of the two wealthy vaccine tourists hit a raw nerve, and not just among the community they thoughtlessly endangered. The story made headlines around the world. Yukon authorities reviewed the matter and the charges were upgraded. Now the couple could face up to six months in prison.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\nMeanwhile, they are not expected to get their second dose of the vaccine until eight or nine months after their first.<\/p>\n