By Skies Magazine | February 3, 2020 Estimated reading time 4 minutes, 16 seconds.
On Feb. 2, the Canadian government announced that it would be answering the calls of Canadian citizens stranded in the Chinese city of Wuhan — known as the origin of the deadly Coronavirus.
Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne told reporters last week that the government had received requests for aid from Canadians in the region, which set the plan in motion to charter a plane to bring them home.
Over the weekend, Canada was able to secure an aircraft that will head to the region for the evacuation. The plane has currently been deployed to Hanoi, Vietnam, and will only set course to Wuhan after receiving clearance from the Chinese government, who recently locked the city down and made the airspace above the region a no-fly zone.
“Government officials and Canadian Armed Forces medical personnel are currently on their way to Hanoi and in the process of obtaining the necessary visas from the government of China to enter Wuhan,” read Global Affairs’ statement on Sunday.
After receiving clearance, the evacuees and medical staff will be brought to Canadian Forces Base Trenton, Ont., for 14 days for further medical assessment and observation, with reports suggesting the evacuees will put in quarantine on the base.
“Part of the process now is figuring out what our protocols will be when we return Canadians who wish to come home,” Health Minister Patty Hajdu told reporters in the same scrum as Champagne last week.
The National Post reported that government officials will be closely monitoring how other nations handle their evacuees, especially those of the United States.
Along with the evacuation announcement, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gathered the Incident Response Team to discuss how the incoming evacuees will be handled and what steps will need to be taken when they land.
“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,” read a statement from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after the meeting.
In statement released on Sunday, Gen Jonathan Vance, Chief of the Defence Staff of the Canadian Armed Forces, reassured those with loved ones involved in the mission that all precautionary steps are in place to ensure the safeguarding of all CAF members and returning Canadians.
Vance also assured residents in the Trenton area of their safety during this time, saying, “To our neighbours in the Trenton area, let me assure you that while we host our fellow citizens as they are undergoing medical observation and evaluation, there is no risk to you or your families. Those engaged in direct support to them, including medical and social services, are experts in their field, and the safety protocols they have set in place are, and will be, rigorously applied and constantly reviewed.”
As of Feb. 3, updated numbers from China said the total number of infected in the country has risen to 17,205, while there are currently four known cases of Coronavirus in Canada — three in Ontario and one in British Columbia.
