OTTAWA -- After spending 14 days in quarantine at the NAV Centre in Cornwall, Trudy Clement said she “started crying” when she was brought down to the quarantine officer Friday morning
The Callander, Ont. resident was one of the over 100 passengers allowed to leave the facility, after spending two weeks in quarantine following a trip on a Diamond Princess cruise ship.
“it’s amazing. I started crying when we were brought down to the quarantine officers and showing our passports and knowing finally we’re going home,” said Clement.
The passengers were allowed to leave the Cornwall facility Friday morning after none of them showed symptoms of COVID-19. They were passengers on a Diamond Princess cruise ship that had positive cases of the novel coronavirus last month.
According to the Eastern Ontario Health Unit, the passengers will be allowed to depart if they continue to be symptom free. In a statement, the health unit says “once released from quarantine, these individuals will pose no risk for COVID-19 and will be able to resume their normal activities without risk to the public.”
On February 21, the group of Canadians travelled from Japan to CFB Trenton, before being bussed to Cornwall for the two-week quarantine. The health unit said the Canadians were monitored and assessed for symptoms before leaving Japan as well as during their flight to Canada. They were assessed when they arrived at CFB Trenton, and passengers without any symptoms were bussed to Cornwall for the two week quarantine.
Speaking on CTV Morning Live, Medical Officer of Health Dr. Paul Roumeliotis said none of the quarantined passengers became ill with the respiratory illness while in Cornwall.
“Everything went very well over the past 14 days. They’re anxious to leave,” said Dr. Roumeliotis.
“They were getting daily check-ups, they’re all healthy. There was no evidence of any coronavirus.”
The passengers spent 14 days in quarantine in Cornwall after spending a quarantine period on the cruise ship in Japan.
“Things change over two weeks. We know more now than we did two weeks ago,” said Dr. Roumeliotis.
“At the time when the question was what do you do with these passengers who were on a cruise ship that was quote – unquote quarantined, yet 20 per cent of the individuals on the cruise ship got infected. So what’s going on? We considered these individuals as high-risk ….. we didn’t want to take a chance because we are still in the confinement phase.”
Dr. Roumeliotis adds “I think it was the right decision to quarantine them and follow just follow them through.”
One passenger thanked the City of Cornwall for hosting the passengers, saying on Twitter "thank you Cornwall for hosting us and everyone for making this leg of the quarantine more enjoyable.
