COVID-19: Remaining Canadians quarantined at CFB Trenton released

The remaining Canadians quarantined over the novel coronavirus at a Canadian Forces Base have been released, the Public Health Agency of Canada says.

In a statement released Tuesday, the agency confirmed that the remaining 195 people staying at Canadian Forces Base Trenton in Ontario were released from their 14-day quarantines.

1:57 COVID-19: Health Minister says public health officials assisting Canadians in Japan

The agency also said that the people released Tuesday were aboard the second government chartered flight from Wuhan, China — the epicentre of the COVID-19 outbreak which has infected more than 80,000 globally and killed 2,700.

“These repatriated individuals are receiving the same level of support as the previous group of repatriated Canadians who were released from quarantine on February 21,” read the press release.

“The Government of Canada is helping to facilitate their onward travel by providing transportation to Toronto before they continue to their final destination.”

3:21 Latest COVID-19 evacuees arrive at CFB Trenton

Quarantine periods for Canadians on a chartered flight that arrived at CFB Trenton on Feb. 7 came to an end earlier this week.

The Trenton base has been the primary source of housing for Canadians who were airlifted from Wuhan. To date, none of the evacuees that stayed at the base have developed any symptoms of the novel coronavirus, now dubbed COVID-19.

A Calgary man who finished his quarantine period Friday told Global News that the experience was difficult.

“I wasn’t prepared for that,” said Carter Perrier in an interview. “The nurses, about a week in, started asking, ‘How is your mental health?’ We have resources here available to us if we were struggling with that.”

The base was also used as an initial screening area for Canadian passengers who where evacuated from the quarantined Diamond Princess in Japan before they entered their additional 14-day quarantine period at the NAV Canada facility in Cornwall, Ont.

2:14 Travelling during a viral outbreak

The health agency said that they wanted to reiterate that the risk of the disease spreading to Canadians still remained low, even in the communities where the repatriated Canadians were returning to following the end of their quarantine.

“I would like to thank the repatriated Canadians and their families for their patience, cooperation and contribution to public health,” read the statement. “They have been through a stressful experience and I urge everyone to treat them with respect and compassion.

— With files from the Associated Press and Global News’ Maryam Shah