In this politically correct environment it can be considered racism to protect oneself from someone suspected of carrying the coronavirus. A woman on a flight was asked to wear a mask by the crew because she was coughing. She saw this as racist since she was of Asian descent and she caught a cold in Mexico. She went to the media about it. Of course this makes it difficult for anyone to make a call for protection.

Every four days the number of infected people in China doubles, and we don’t know if we are getting an accurate report. Two Canadians are quarantined on a cruise ship that has twenty confirmed cases of the coronavirus.

My question is, where might our political correctness be taking us? If we bring home some three hundred Canadians, who very possibly have been exposed to the virus in China, where it is spreading uncontrollably, what are we doing for the rest of Canada? Are we going to be able to contain the virus if any number of the Canadians from China show symptoms or test positive?

The latest word is that a plane is leaving Friday, with another one to follow next week.

Let’s consider the following. Not only will the Canadians traveling from China have to be quarantined, so will the pilot and the crew and possibly the baggage handlers, as well as airport security. When they arrive they will need further transport and some entity will need to supply them with food and accommodations, implying contact, again. They will need to have medical check-ups by medical teams who then will be exposed. If they have the virus, they will need medical care in a medical facility, meaning they will need to be transported to a hospital. Once there, more people will be exposed.

I have a deep heart of compassion. I am thinking of this as though this might be my own family and friends. But if I was in China, I would not want to be responsible for bringing the virus to Canada. I do not envy those with whom the decision rests.

In the U.S. at least one person was turned away from the Canada/US border as travel restrictions are implemented. The following are the restrictions implemented by the U.S. according to the above article.

This to me does not look anything like what the Globe and Mail recently called exploiting the situation.

Whatever decision Canada makes, let’s believe it is the right one.