Government of Canada now advising to avoid all non-essential travel to China

Jan 30 2020, 5:41 pm

The Government of Canada is now advising Canadians to avoid all non-essential travel to China.

This is the third time the government has increased its travel risk advisory over the past week.

Initially, Global Affairs said Canadians should avoid all travel to Hubei Province including the cities of Wuhan, Huanggang, and Ezhou, “due to the imposition of heavy travel restrictions in order to limit the spread of a novel coronavirus.”

Their advisory has since been updated to include avoiding all non-essential travel to China, not just the province of Hubei.

“There is an outbreak of a novel coronavirus in China,” states the government. “Several airlines have suspended or reduced flights to and from the country. Chinese authorities have imposed travel restrictions in parts of the country. Further restrictions may be imposed on short notice. It may be increasingly difficult to travel within the country or in and out of it.”

On Wednesday, Air Canada said it would temporarily suspend all direct flights to Beijing and Shanghai from January 30 to February 29.

At this time, the airline operates direct flights to both locations from Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.

Government of Canada

The federal government said that on January 22, Chinese authorities asked the public to avoid all non-essential travel to and from the city of Wuhan, Hubei Province, “in the hopes of containing a novel coronavirus.”

On Thursday, the Ontario government confirmed that 27 coronavirus cases are currently under investigation in the province.

The number of confirmed cases remains at three, with two in Ontario, and one in BC.

Daily Hive StaffDaily Hive Staff

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