Montreal family stuck in Wuhan vies for father to get on plane back to Canada
CBC News | Posted: February 4, 2020 5:00 PM | Last Updated: February 4, 2020
'There's something wrong somewhere,' says Megan Millward, who is hoping her husband will be on flight
The federal government says it doesn't want to break up families in its repatriation of Canadians stuck in China, but one Montreal family say they're still struggling to find out if they'll be able to come home together.
Megan Millward is a Canadian citizen, but her husband Lie Zhang is a permanent resident. Their two children, ages two and six, are Canadian citizens.
Millward and Zhang say the uncertainty is causing them distress.
"It's quite tough," Zhang said. "We want to stay together as a family."
Millward and her husband Lie Zhang were travelling with their two children to China to spend the Lunar New Year with Zhang's family in the countryside of Hubei province.
They are among the roughly 300 Canadians stranded in the coronavirus-affected region of China due to containment measures like roadblocks and cancelled flights.
When the federal government first announced it would be evacuating Canadians from the quarantine zone in and around Wuhan, it said it would only allow citizens on the flight.
The government has since updated its policy to allow permanent residents if they are with otherwise unaccompanied minors.
On Tuesday, the 280 Canadian passport holders who requested to be evacuated from the quarantine zone received an email from Ottawa informing them a chartered plane would be leaving Wuhan Wednesday.
But the plane only has space for 250 people, including its crew and medical personnel, so the email warns people to be prepared that they may not be able to get on.
The government said it will be prioritizing the elderly, the very young and people with underlying health issues.
Millward said Chinese officials assured them they would be able to get on the flight, but were then told by Canadian officials Zhang is not on the list of eligible Canadians.
"There's something wrong somewhere," Millward said.
"Last week, I was frustrated that things were slow, but I'm Canadian and I give people the benefit of the doubt. But now I'm just mad."
'We had to find a solution for many more people'
Federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu has said the reason it took more than a week for the government to charter a plane is because it was having trouble determining the exact number of Canadians trapped in the Wuhan quarantine zone.
"We thought we might be able to partner with some of our allied countries to repatriate people using their space," Hajdu said on CBC's Power and Politics.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the government will send a second plane if it finds it is necessary, but added that all 280 people may not be able to show up because of lack of transport to the Wuhan airport.
"We'll make a decision based on how full the plane is when we come back — whether or not we exercise the option of the second plane," Trudeau told reporters Tuesday.
Millward and Zhang say getting to the airport is the least of their worries since they have access to a car they borrowed for their trip. It's getting Zhang on the plane that is a priority.
The Canadian plane is expected to land at the Canadian Forces Base in Trenton, Ont. It will stop to refuel in Vancouver, but passengers will not be permitted to disembark.
The passengers will spend 14 days in quarantine at a hotel in Trenton, where they will be monitored by medical staff.
"The email also said there would be mental health support available during the 14 days and I guarantee you if I have both of my kids in a hotel room for 14 days without him, I'm going to need that support," Millward said.