Canadians on California cruise set to fly home as COVID-19 outbreak continues worldwide

SAN FRANCISCO (NEWS 1130) – Governments and school districts all over the world are being forced to act quickly as the number of COVID-19 cases tops 110,000, with more than 60 confirmed cases in Canada.

Amid the global outbreak, the federal government has arranged for evacuation flights to get citizens out of places like Wuhan, China — where the virus was first reported — Japan, and now off of a cruise ship currently being quarantined off the coast of California.

There are 237 Canadians on board the Grand Princess, which has been idling in the water near San Francisco for days after 21 people aboard tested positive for COVID-19.

The ship has now been cleared to dock in Oakland. Once everyone on board is tested, the flight chartered by the Canadian government will fly the Canadians back, where they will then undergo another quarantine, this one lasting two weeks at CFB Trenton in Ontario.

The whole process of repatriation could take several days.

“The decision was made following a request for assistance from the Government of the United States to repatriate Canadians,” a statement from Global Affairs Canada reads. “Given our shared border, Canada recognizes the importance of working together with the United States to limit the spread of COVID-19 within North America and beyond.”

Global Affairs adds the “extent and frequency of interaction amongst cruise passengers and the close quarters found on most cruise ships presents a unique environment where COVID-19 can easily spread.”

The Government of Canada will be repatriating Canadians aboard the #GrandPrincess.

Here is our news release: pic.twitter.com/ZuZA3WiXhl

— François-Philippe Champagne (FPC) (@FP_Champagne) March 8, 2020

More than 500 people across the United States have tested positive for COVID-19 since the outbreak began, with the country’s death toll now at least 21.

Around the world, the novel coronavirus has had dire consequences on a number of communities.

In Iran, the death toll continues to grow, with more than 7,000 confirmed cases reported in that country. There have been concerns that Iran has been underreporting its cases, with a reported 237 people killed in the Islamic Republic as of Monday morning Pacific Standard Time.

Other countries have taken drastic measures to try and control the spread of the outbreak. Travel bans, widespread closures of businesses, schools, and attractions, as well as bans on large gatherings are just some of the steps some governments, however, Canada has yet to implement anything of the sort.

The outbreak, which first began late last year, has also taken a toll on businesses and economies. Anxiety over the epidemic has most recently sent global stock markets, as well as oil prices, plunging.

Just last week, the Bank of Canada and U.S. Federal Reserve both slashed their interest rates in an effort to try and dampen the economic damage being done by the outbreak.

COVID-19 in Canada

Across Canada, dozens of cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed over the last few months, with a number of people already having recovered from the illness.

The number of cases reported appears to be rising daily now, with patients mostly found in Ontario and B.C. The provinces who have reported cases is growing, however, with Alberta and Quebec also confirming cases over the past couple of weeks.

In B.C., two schools in Surrey reported brushes with COVID-19, forcing the school district to carry out a deep clean in anticipation of classes on Monday.

“Because our school community was not in contact with the affected individual, Fraser Health advise that the risk to our school was low,” Ritinder Matthew with the Surrey School District told NEWS 1130 on Sunday.

Meanwhile, morning announcements district-wide will sound a bit different on Monday, with an extra emphasis on proper hand washing and coughing techniques.

In Ontario, four more positive cases were confirmed on Sunday, bringing that province’s total to more than 30. Ontario’s Ministry of Health has said officials are actively working to prepare for potential local spread of the new coronavirus, as the number of cases rises. Alberta announced two new possible cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, too.

-With files from Lisa Steacy, The Associated Press, and The Canadian Press