David and Patricia Strang of Fredericton are eager to get back on Canadian soil after spending two weeks on board the Diamond Princess in Japan under quarantine for COVID-19.
“I just want to be in Canada even though I am not going to be home in Fredericton. To be in Canada is going to be great,” said Patricia, who said her husband spent his 73rd birthday this week onboard the ship under quarantine.
“Well, you spend 14 days in a 200-square-foot cabin and see how much fun you have,” said David.
The couple booked an around-the-world cruise and said the experience wasn’t what they signed up for.
“(We did) what we were supposed to do and now I am on a bus to be flown back to Canada to be on another two-week quarantine period,” said David.
The Strangs are among the healthy Canadians headed home. On Thursday, they boarded one of several buses headed to the airport and were expected to arrive at CFB Trenton overnight. The couple will then spend another 14 days in quarantine in Cornwall, Ont.
“It’s been trying,” said David.
Patricia said they spent almost the entire two weeks confined to their cabin, grateful for a balcony. She said she exercised every day in her room trying to stay healthy, seeing only the masked steward who brought them food and medics who took their temperatures.
“One time we went out when they told us we could go out on deck to walk around but then we figured it was too dangerous to do that because we could be walking around beside people who had the virus,” she said.
She said they gave up their deck time to a Toronto couple who ended up testing positive for the virus.
The couple said the authorities on the ship did not seem to have a lot of experience in dealing with this kind of outbreak.
“It was handled probably too late, but you know, everybody was learning,” said David.
“I don’t think they really knew what to do. I mean, I think they tried their best but I think they have learned a lot of lessons since,” said Patricia.
Japan’s government has defended the effectiveness of the quarantine and Japanese health officials have also defended the precautions taken on the ship.
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