Sunday February 2, 2020 ~ NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL
by Mary Brooke ~ West Shore Voice News
Today Sunday February 2, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reconvened the Incident Response Group for an update on the coronavirus situation. They discussed the Government of Canada’s response to the novel coronavirus, including “next steps to assist Canadians who have requested help in departing from Wuhan, China, health measures, and travel advisories”, it was stated in a release this afternoon.
Updates have been provided to the public through the media during the past week to 10 days, as the situation found more complexities to deal with.
Reportedly now 325 Canadians presently in mainland China have requested to be on a plane coming from Canada to bring people back home (up from 196) as the coronavirus begins to spread and kill outside China.
Retrieving the Canadians from China requires a strategy. That includes diplomacy with the Chinese government as well as complex logistics. Various aspects include citizen/passport paperwork for all Canadians leaving China, finding a flight crew both qualified and willing to deal with exposure to the virus, conditions of cross-contamination of passengers on the plane, and whether or not someone with symptoms will even be allowed onto the plane (which means health screening prior to being listed and boarding). Where the plane can land and refuel will be part of the decision-making.
There will need to be considerations of actual contamination possibility during the long flight (probably 13 to 14 hours) as air on planes is recycled, whether or not returning Canadians will be required to stay in quarantine for 14 days upon arrival back in Canada (this evening that was confirmed — the returning Canadians will stay at CFB Trenton base in Ontario for 14 days), having medical personnel on board in case people develop symptoms on board, and how those patients can possibly be isolated, caring for the health of the pilot(s) while in flight, and so on.
This evening, it was reported by CTV News that the Canadian Armed Forces will be assisting in receiving Canadians who will be taking a federally chartered plane out of Wuhan, China, according to a statement from Chief of the Defence Staff General J.H. Vance.
The plane was chartered after Global Affairs Canada received 325 requests from Canadians who wish to leave the Chinese province Hubei, which is at the centre of the novel coronavirus outbreak. The plane will arrive in Hanoi, Vietnam first before it’s deployed to Wuhan, according to Global Affairs Canada on Sunday.
Airspace to the locked-down city Wuhan is currently closed, but the plane will land once the government of China gives authorization. Global Affairs gave no indication on the status of that flight.
As of this evening, both government officials and military personnel are en route to Hanoi, Global Affairs Canada said. And the group is in the process of obtaining visas from the Chinese government to enter Wuhan.
“The government remains fully engaged on the issue, and will do all that is necessary to ensure the safety of Canadians, both at home and abroad,” it was stated in the release.
Ministers and Government of Canada officials at all levels have been in close contact with our international partners including Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the World Health Organization to share information on responses to the novel coronavirus outbreak.
In today’s meeting, Minister of Foreign Affairs François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Health Patty Hajdu, Minister of National Defence Harjit Sajjan, and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair provided an overview of discussions Canada has had with its international partners on the coronavirus response. They also updated the group on actions being taken to bring Canadians home from the affected areas and prevent and limit the spread of the virus.
The Government of Canada has chartered a plane that will fly to Wuhan, and is in the process of finalizing the necessary authorizations to land in China and facilitate Canadians’ departure.
The group discussed actions that will be taken once the Canadians on board arrive from China at the Canadian Forces Base in Trenton, Ontario. These actions include thorough health screenings and a period of observation at the base in order to protect the health and safety of Canadians. They highlighted work being done with provincial, territorial, and local health services to support Canadians upon their arrival and to arrange for further care if the need arises.
Trudeau remarked on his visit yesterday to Toronto where he celebrated the Lunar New Year with Chinese Canadians and again underlined the importance of Canadians’ support for each other, and of combating fear, stigma, and racism.
However, in some cases what might seem like a racist response could be just an overabundance of caution over possibly encountering anyone who has recently returned from China. Persons of all backgrounds — including Chinese Canadians — are avoiding situations where they feel there might be exposure to the virus. There are reports to this effect from the Chinese communities in Vancouver and Edmonton.