Chartered plane to retrieve Canadians in Wuhan amid coronavirus outbreak

Feb 3 2020, 12:20 am

Canada’s federal government has chartered a plane to fly Canadians in Wuhan, China out of the locked down city during the ongoing novel coronavirus outbreak.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office issued a statement Sunday afternoon detailing the plans that are in place.

The plane will land at the Trenton, Ontario military base, where the passengers will undergo health screening and stay for a few days under observation before going out into the broader community.

Officials are in the process of getting the proper clearances to land in China.

In late 2019, a novel coronavirus infected several people in Wuhan. The virus is believed to have jumped from animals to humans at a food market in the city.

Wuhan has been locked down since January 23, with public transport options in and out of the city shut down.

In China, there are 14,411 cases of the novel coronavirus and 304 people have died from it, according to the World Health Organization.

The first death from the novel coronavirus outside of China was reported this weekend. The man was a resident of Wuhan but died in the Philippines.

 

Megan DevlinMegan Devlin

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