First Presumptive Positive Case of Coronavirus: Canada Updates Travel Advisory

Canada's first "presumptive positive" case of coronavirus was announced Saturday as Canada updates its travel advisory for the province of Hubei, recommending to avoid all non-essential travel to the cities of Wuhan, Huanggang and Ezhou.

Canadian officials have said a man in his 50s who travelled to Wuhan where it’s suspected the coronavirus outbreak began ended up in hospital one day after returning to Toronto. He is being kept in isolation at Sunnybrook Hospital.

Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, Montreal’s Trudeau International Airport and Vancouver International Airport have all introduced enhanced public health measures for screening passengers.

The U.S. has made plans to airlift American citizens out of Wuhan, the outbreak's epicentre. Several of the top carriers in the U.S. are waiving change fees for travelers flying to airports in Wuhan, Beijing and Shanghai, including American, Delta and United. Change fees will be waived through March.

Health Minister Patty Hajdu said on Sunday that Canada does not expect to follow suit, and that anyone concerned about relatives in the outbreak area should contact Global Affairs Canada.

"At this point, it doesn't appear that we have the need to charter a plane," she said.

Canada's chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam said during the news conference however that "It would not be unexpected that there would be more cases imported into Canada in the near-term, given global travel patterns."