TORONTO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th February, 2020) A Canadian charter plane will soon be prepositioned in Hanoi, Vietnam, while awaiting Chinese approval to evacuate more than 300 Canadians stranded in the city Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak, Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said in a press conference.
"We have chartered a plane, which will be going to Hanoi where it will be prepositioned as we await final approvals from the Chinese authorities," Champagne said on Monday evening.
Flanked by Health Minister Patty Hajdu, Minister of National Defense Harjit Sajjan and Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam, Champagne said that Canada's Standing Rapid Deployment Team is already in Wuhan and is coordinating the next steps with the Chinese authorities.
Hajdu said during the press conference that the evacuees will be held in quarantine for 14 days - the maximum incubation period for the virus - in individual isolation at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Trenton.
Should any of the evacuees exhibit coronavirus-like symptoms on board the airplane, they will be isolated, masked and immediately transported to a local medical center during a refueling stop in Vancouver, Hajdu said.
The Health Minister reassured Canadians that the risk to public safety remains low and declaring a public health emergency is unwarranted at present.
On Sunday, Canadian outlets reported that the number of Canadians who have asked for assisted repatriation has risen to 325 out of 543 who have registered with consular officials.
Champagne said the situation remains fluid and he will update the public with the exact information when the chartered airplane leaves for Canada.
Chinese media reported on Sunday that the death toll from the novel coronavirus has risen to 304 with the number of confirmed cases spiking to 14,411.
Canada has confirmed four coronavirus cases out of the 126 patient samples that have been analyzed at the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg.
