Vancouver couple remains stranded in quarantined Wuhan
Credit to Author: Jennifer Saltman| Date: Thu, 06 Feb 2020 00:26:23 +0000
Edward Yuan had a difficult choice to make.
Yuan, 28, was shortlisted for a government-chartered flight from Wuhan, China, to Canada. But because his wife, 27-year-old Eve Xiao, is a permanent resident of Canada and not a citizen, she would not be able to go with him.
Wuhan, a city of 11 million people, is the epicentre of an outbreak of a novel coronavirus that has killed almost 500 people and sickened 25,000, and has been quarantined for almost two weeks, with no travel in or out.
“I’d like to come home to Canada, but I can’t leave my wife alone in China, and we are still deciding what to do at this moment,” Yuan said in an email on Tuesday evening, less than 12 hours before he was due to be at the airport for the flight.
In the end, he notified the Canadian government that he would not be leaving, instead deciding to wait and see if there will be a second chance to get out of Wuhan. This is despite the concerns he has about his sick mother in B.C. and the possibility of losing his job if he doesn’t return soon.
The Vancouver couple left on their honeymoon and an extended vacation in November, spending the first month or so in Japan before heading to Wuhan to visit family.
Since the coronavirus outbreak, Yuan and Xiao have barely ventured outside.
“We have been staying in-house for 12 days now, no signs of symptoms of coronavirus so far. We still have some food left but need to get groceries soon,” Yuan said.
Yuan said he and Xiao are hoping to leave together if there is a second flight or any other way out of Wuhan, but there is no word yet whether the Chinese government will lift the travel ban for permanent residents without children who want to leave the quarantine zone.
Xiao has lived, studied and worked in B.C. for more than eight years.
“I believe the Canadian government would also like to help us return home as a family, and is trying to communicate with Chinese authorities regarding the permanent resident issue,” Yuan said. “As I have a few friends in similar situations currently stranded in Wuhan, we are all hoping to hear good news from both governments, whether about the evacuation or the removal of the travel ban.”
The government-chartered flight that Yuan was supposed to take was delayed due to crosswinds that kept the plane from leaving Hanoi, Vietnam, on Thursday, and stranded people in Wuhan for another day.
“There is a narrow window given by the Chinese for flights into Wuhan and the weather conditions were such that the plane could not take off,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau explained as he entered a Liberal caucus meeting Wednesday morning in Ottawa.
“We understand for loved ones here in Canada with families over there that it’s extremely difficult, but we’re doing everything we can to get them home.”
Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said 373 Canadians have asked for help to leave Wuhan, but the plane was to carry just 211 passengers.
Champagne also said the government is still weighing its options for taking more Canadians out of Wuhan once the first flight has left, including whether it should send a second plane or can secure enough space on flights organized by the U.S. and other allies.
Upon arrival in Canada, the evacuees on the flight from Wuhan will be quarantined at Canadian Forces Base Trenton in southern Ontario for 14 days, during which time they will receive regular health assessments.
Those planning to take the flight have also been told that visits from friends and family will not be permitted, to prevent possible transmission of the virus.
Yuan believes the quarantine at Trenton for returning Canadians is a good idea.
“I’m proud that the government decided to (enforce) a 14-day quarantine on the travellers as we have requested. It is very important for public health in Canada,” he said.
The plane will stop in Vancouver to refuel on its way to Trenton. If a passenger falls sick mid-flight, they will be moved to an isolated area of the plane and, upon landing in B.C., will be transported to a facility and isolated at Richmond Hospital.
“As the closest hospital to Vancouver International Airport, Richmond Hospital serves travellers in need of medical care,” the B.C. Centre for Disease Control said in a statement. “All hospitals in B.C. take steps to prepare for the possibility of a pandemic in accordance with the Ministry of Health’s pandemic response plans.”
There have been five cases of the novel coronavirus in Canada: three in Ontario and two in B.C.
The first B.C. case, discovered late last month, was a man in his 40s who returned from a business trip in China that had him spending most of his time in Wuhan. He voluntarily isolated himself at home and is recovering.
On Tuesday, a presumptive case was identified in the Vancouver Coastal Health region. A woman in her 50s who had family visiting from Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, is in quarantine in her home. Others in her household are being tested.
Local public health officials said the case tested positive, but they are awaiting official confirmation from the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg.
Although the risk to Canadians and British Columbians remains low, there is still concern in the general public.
Hand sanitizer supplies were running low in many Metro Vancouver drug and grocery stores.
Whole Foods markets ran out over the weekend and are not expecting to receive new shipments until late February. At least half a dozen Real Canadian Superstore locations had also run out of hand sanitizer in the past week, but were expecting stock in the coming days. London Drugs just received another shipment, but was expecting it to sell fast.
Stores also had trouble keeping masks and disposable gloves in stock.
— with files from Canadian Press and Nick Eagland