KITCHENER -- CTV News has confirmed that a man from Waterloo will spend the next 14 days quarantined at Trenton Airforce Base after arriving on one of two planes from China.
The country has been dealing with a deadly coronavirus and more than 300 Canadians have been unable to return.
That all changed this week after the federal government promised to fly them home.
Before boarding two planes bound for CFB Trenton the 176 passengers were screened for symptoms.
Those planes touched down Friday without incident.
The passengers will now spend two weeks inside a hotel at the airbase where they’ll be constantly monitored for the coronavirus.
The man from Waterloo Region and his family asked not to be identified.
Some of the man’s friends told CTV News that they also returned from mainland China a few days ago. Ralph Lu and Mei Li were about a thousand kilometres away from Wuhan, while Bob Luo was in Beijing.
They say their Chinese New Year celebrations were impacted by the growing concern over the coronavirus.
"They cancelled family gatherings," says Lu. "They stayed at home. They just used social media or the telephone to say hello to each other."
While they were nowhere near Wuhan and they have not had any symptoms, all three have decided to stay inside their homes here in Canada just to be safe.
"We think this is a part of social responsibility," says Luo. "We are healthy, we don’t see any problems. But we don’t want to panic others about it."
Dr. Hsui Li Wang, the acting Medical Officer of Health for the Region of Waterloo, says it’s important to be informed.
"Unfortunately in these times misinformation can spread. That can lead to stereotyping and discrimination."
For the most up-to-date information, residents are advised to check the websites for the Region of Waterloo, the provincial government, the federal government and the WHO.
