The lead researcher in Alberta called the effort a "non-pharmaceutical intervention" that, if successful, could avoid "extensive consequences."

The group will undergo further screening at the base, then be placed under another two-week quarantine at the Nav Centre in Cornwall, Ont.

The patients had all been staying at Travis Air Force Base in California since being flown to the U.S. over the weekend.

Among the infected are 47 Canadians who will have to remain in Japan for treatment.

About 43 of the 256 Canadians aboard the ship have contracted the novel coronavirus as of Tuesday, according to latest figures from Global Affairs Canada. 

The quarantine lift also follows Italy's announcement to evacuate 35 of its citizens stranded on the Diamond Princess Cruise ship in Japan.