Uncertain future for stranded Canadians
No word on when plane will leave for China
OTTAWA • The government is sending a plane for the nearly 200 Canadians stuck under quarantine in Wuhan, China, but when that will happen and how those passengers will be dealt with when they arrive is still uncertain.
Health Minister Patty Hajdu said the government is working with Chinese officials to determine when Canada can send a flight for the Canadians, but she said it’s a difficult logistical challenge.
“We don’t have the information yet, so I am not going to stand here and give Canadians misinformation,” she said. “We are flying a non-commercial flight into a new country that is under quarantine, that has some very strict protocols on where planes can land.”
She said the government is still contacting Canadians and trying to provide information. They don’t yet know how many Canadians will be on the flight, but they had 196 Canadians reach out for assistance.
The government has chartered a plane that can carry all of those passengers once the details have been resolved.
Hajdu said there are no reports any of the potential passengers are sick.
It also remains unclear whether Canadian permanent residents will be able to travel on the flight or just Canadian citizens.
Speaking on CBC, Robert Oliphant the parliamentary secretary to the minister of foreign affairs, said the government is talking to the Chinese government and hopes to be able to bring permanent residents with family ties to Canada home as well.
“We will stand up to keep families together.”
Hajdu said the government has also not yet decided on quarantine or isolation measures for anyone coming from China on the plane.
She said anyone who exhibited symptoms when they arrive would definitely be treated and kept in isolation. “If any patients were exhibiting symptoms of being ill they would be isolated until we could determine that in fact they were free of the coronavirus.”
She said whether people who are not showing symptoms would have to be quarantined is something the government is still studying.
“We’re working out the processes right now to determine who is coming, what the state of their health will be when they board the plane and what processes we need to take in order to ensure their health when they return,” she said.
The NDP’S health critic Don Davies said it is past time the government gave more clear answers to Canadians on the issue.
“I want to see a significant plan from the government,” he said. “What we’re asking the government to do is tell us what their plan is.”