Weather delays flight evacuating Canadians stranded in Wuhan as coronavirus death toll climbs past 500

By The Canadian Press

Canadians stranded in a quarantined Chinese city were told Wednesday that a flight set to bring them home was delayed, leaving them stranded in the epicentre of the new coronavirus for another day.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said weather events forced the delay.

“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,” Trudeau explained as he entered a Liberal caucus meeting Wednesday morning in Ottawa.

“So everything is delayed by a day. We’re hoping to have these families back on Friday,” Trudeau added.

“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.”

Government officials said the delay would put off the return home of the Canadians by about 21 hours.

The flight was supposed to leave Wuhan early Thursday morning local time, but an email from the Canadian Embassy announced it would be delayed to the evening.

“Due to circumstances beyond the control of the Government of Canada, please be advised the departure time has been delayed,” read a message forwarded to The Canadian Press by Myriam Larouche, a 25-year-old student from L’Ascension, Que.

Richard Fabic, whose 15-month-old daughter Chloe is among the prospective evacuees, said he, too, received the email and was disappointed by the delay.

Efforts to evacuate Canadians who want out of Wuhan have been slow-going as Ottawa sought permission from Chinese authorities. Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne has said the plane would wait in Vietnam until the government received the go-ahead.

Ottawa has said more than 300 Canadians have asked for help to leave Wuhan but the plane has room for only 250 passengers.

Upon arrival in Canada, the evacuees aboard the upcoming flight from Wuhan will be quarantined at Canadian Forces Base Trenton in southern Ontario for 14 days.

Those planning to take the flight have also been told visits from friends and family will not be permitted to prevent possible transmission of the virus.

The latest numbers out of Beijing put the death toll from the novel coronavirus at 563. All of the new deaths were in Wuhan. More than 28,000 people have been sickened in mainland China. Nearly 200 other cases have been confirmed globally.

In Canada, there are five cases of the illness: three in Ontario and two in British Columbia.

The latest presumptive case is a woman in her 50s in the Vancouver area, who had family visiting from Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital.

Local public health officials said the case tested positive but they’re awaiting official confirmation from the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg.

The federal government also secured space on board a U.S. plane to evacuate a “few dozen” Canadians from Wuhan.

The U.S. plane will leave a few hours after an evacuation flight organized by the federal government that is set to carry 211 Canadians out of Wuhan.

Those on board both flights will eventually be ferried to Canadian Forces Base Trenton in Ontario, where they will be monitored for two weeks to see if they have contracted the coronavirus.

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