Cannabis firm sues shipper
Check your travel medical
New orca rescue attempt
No bail in Ottawa killings 
Banks must say rebate 
Regulating power prices
Iran fires at attack drones 
World's largest election 
2 detained in Volkov attack 
Oil and gas leases restricted
Indigo needs turnaround 
Rates slow green economy
Warriors ready for Round 2
Kalamalka Bowl cancelled
Rockets live to fight on
Rihanna's parenting ‘hack’
Tarantino scraps film
Munn talks cancer battle
A B.C. couple has no regrets about their decision to spend the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in paradise, far from home.
Neal Van Beers and girlfriend Charmaine Sanchez left for the Maldives in December, after paying for an "unlimited stays" package at Anantara's Veli Maldives Resort.
The price? $30,000 US for two. Or, as Van Beers says by way of email, "almost the same as a one-bedroom apartment monthly in Vancouver."
Included in the package are unlimited stays until Dec. 23, 2021. They left B.C. just before Christmas of 2020, and have rented out their house in Canada while they're away.
The couple is currently staying in an "over-water bungalow," which is essentially a small house on stilts over the Arabian Sea. They enjoy complimentary breakfasts, 25% off all other meals, all the amenities you'd expect from a luxury resort, and a tropical climate where the average temperature in January is 28 C.
Van Beers owns a Dairy Queen franchise in Golden and has been able to work remotely for the past month since they arrived. He identifies as a "working digital nomad," and says the only downside is the 12-hour time difference, which makes it difficult to book meetings.
He says they decided to take advantage of the $30,000 offer because of what he describes as "the ongoing negativity and restrictions" regarding the pandemic in B.C., and that since they arrived they are living "maskless and free."
The couple had originally planned to come back to Canada in March, but are now considering staying the entire year.
B.C.'s provincial health officer has advised that, in order to curb the spread of COVID-19, "non-essential travel should be avoided."
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Maldives has reported 14,582 cases of COVID-19, and 49 deaths.
When asked if they're concerned about the threat of COVID-19, and not having access to the same type of medical care that they would in Canada, Van Beers says that he's not aware of any cases on the island they're staying on, and that "There are always risks in life."
