February 3, 2020, Andrew Weichel

Commentary

It remains a mystery why the news media continues to give us updates while we continue to wait, day after day, for a plane to leave the ground from Canada to China to retrieve some 300 Canadians threatened by the coronavirus. Meanwhile China praises Canada as a “bulwark of calm”, for not “exploiting the situation” as it claims the U.S. has done by restricting travel to and from China. Asia correspondent Nathan Vanderklippe, in his Globe and Mail report, states the following:

Canadian Health Minister Patty Hajdu has said the risks to Canada are low and Ottawa sees no need to keep out travellers who have been to China. “Canada believes the entry ban has no basis, which is a sharp contrast to the U.S. behaviours,” Ms. Hua said in a news conference held on the WeChat app.

Ms. Hua is identified as a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

And the WHO (World Health Organization, United Nations) is confusing the situation further by urging the world not to limit travel due to the virus. So, this being the case, why can we not get a flight into China to rescue the Canadians who, according to the Globe and Mail are “trapped in a lockdown zone”?