Canadian Plane Carrying Cruise Ship Evacuees Arrives In Ontario - Foreign Minister

Canadian Plane Carrying Cruise Ship Evacuees Arrives in Ontario - Foreign Minister

A Canadian flight with 129 evacuees from the novel coronavirus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship has arrived at an air force base in Ontario, Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said on Friday

TORONTO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st February, 2020) A Canadian flight with 129 evacuees from the novel coronavirus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship has arrived at an air force base in Ontario, Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said on Friday.

"The Canadian plane from Tokyo has landed at [Canadian Forces Base] Trenton where the 129 passengers will travel by bus to Cornwall," Champagne said via Twitter.

The evacuees will be assessed in Trenton before being transported to the NAV Canada Training Institute in Cornwall, Ontario, where they will undergo a 14-day period of quarantine, Global Affairs Canada said in a statement.

On Wednesday, Canada's top diplomat told reporters that 256 Canadians were on board the ship which remains moored in the Port of Yokohama. At least 47 of them have tested positive for the new strain of coronavirus, COVID-19, and are being treated at local hospitals.

COVID-19 was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late December and has since spread to more than 20 countries. The virus has already resulted in 2,200 fatalities, with more than 76,000 people infected.