OTTAWA — The number of Canadians who want to flee the Chinese province afflicted with the novel coronavirus has climbed to 325.
Global Affairs Canada is providing the update as the world has its first case of a person dying from the new coronavirus outside of China — a 44-year-old man in the Philippines.
Canada is seeking Chinese approval to send a plane to the locked-down city of Wuhan to collect the rising number of Canadians who have asked for help to leave, but there was no indication Sunday from Global Affairs about the status of that flight.
The department is telling people not to go to the airport unannounced because they will not be permitted to board the aircraft, but to contact its Emergency Watch and Response Centre in Ottawa to make arrangements.
The death toll in China has reached 304, and the number of people infected worldwide has surpassed 14,550.
Canada has four known cases — three in Ontario and one in British Columbia.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 2, 2020.
The Canadian Press
The Canadian Press
