Toronto 
Credit: Princess Cruise Lines, Ltd.
The government of Canada is sending a plane to repatriate Canadians on board the Grand Princess off the west coast of the United States, following an outbreak of COVID-19 on the cruise ship. Grand Princess is at sea currently approximately 50 miles off the coast of San Francisco.
Though exact timings, is still being determined, Princess Cruises has confirmed that Grand Princess will dock at the Port of Oakland on Monday to begin disembarking passengers who require acute medical treatment and hospitalization. After health screenings of passengers, California residents will go to a federally operated facility within California for testing and isolation, while non-Californian US residents will be transported by the federal government to facilities in other states. 1,113 crew members will be quarantined and treated aboard the ship.
François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Foreign Affairs announced that the decision to Canadians on board the virus-ridden ship was made following a request for assistance from the Government of the United States to repatriate Canadians.
According to the media release, all passengers from the Grand Princess will be quarantined upon their return to Canada. The plane will bring passengers from San Francisco to Canadian Forces Base Trenton, after which they will be assessed and undergo a 14-day quarantine. Passengers will be screened for symptoms before boarding the plane. If they exhibit symptoms, they will not be permitted to board and will instead be further assessed to determine next steps.
129 Canadians who were on the Diamond Princess Cruise Ship which docked in Japan and who were subjected to a 14-day quarantine period at the NAV CENTRE in Cornwall, Ontario were released from quarantine on March 6, 2020.
The government of Canada is asking all Canadians aboard the Grand Princess to sign up with the Registration of Canadians Abroad service to receive the latest updates from the Government of Canada on COVID-19.
Current Scenario in Canada
Currently in Canada, the total positive COVID-19 cases stand at 63, with 27 cases in British Columbia, 4 in Alberta, 29 in Ontario and 3 in Quebec. Of these 63, 8 cases, 4 each in B.C. and Ontario were fully resolved, with each of those patients having two consecutive negative tests at least 24 hours apart.
