In today’s Morning Brief, we look at Canada’s expected airlift out of Wuhan, China — the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak. We also examine the numbers behind Peter MacKay’s viability as a Conservative leadership candidate and the life of Hollywood icon Kirk Douglas.
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Explaining Canada’s airlift out of China’s coronavirus epicentre
Today, Canadians in Wuhan, China — the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak — are expected to be airlifted out of the country. However, there are lingering questions as to how the process will work, what happens when they arrive back in Canada and why it took so long.
How are Canadians who’ve requested evacuation from Wuhan getting out? An aircraft chartered by the federal government, with 211 Canadians on the manifest, is expected to leave Wuhan around 12 p.m. ET and fly to the Canadian military airbase in Trenton, Ont. As many as 373 Canadians have requested evacuation, but the number, according to officials and senior cabinet ministers, is a moving target.
What has taken the federal government so long? Health Minister Patty Hajdu conceded the federal government was initially caught off guard and had “a slow start in terms of organizing” the evacuation plane. Ottawa also said bad weather delayed its flight. As well, the Chinese government is apparently only allowing evacuation flights in and out of Wuhan at night because their own relief and quarantine efforts take place during the day.
Health Minister Patty Hajdu explains the government’s rationale for asking non-essential Canadians to leave China. 0:48
What precautions will be taken to ensure the evacuees are not carrying coronavirus? Chinese health authorities are set to screen each passenger, and no one who is sick or displaying symptoms will be allowed to board the chartered aircraft. There will also be a six-person Canadian military medical team on the aircraft that will conduct further screening and monitor the condition of the passengers.
What happens to the evacuees once they are at the Canadian airbase in Trenton? The evacuees will be quarantined there for two weeks, and individuals and families will have their own quarters at the base’s Yukon Lodge. Canada Border Service Agency officials will meet the plane upon arrival and Ontario health officials will conduct further medical tests, said Maj.-Gen. Trevor Cadieu, who is in charge of the military’s strategic joint staff. Read more details about the airlift here.
Photo exhibition uncovers Indigenous stories and identities
A new exhibition of Indigenous archival photographs currently in Swift Current, Sask., aims to identify the people and stories behind the pictures. Paul Seesequasis, a Plains Cree writer and cultural activist, has been collecting arc