Canada urges residents to ‘avoid all travel’ to Chinese province at center of coronavirus outbreak

The Canadian government called on residents to stay clear of China’s Hubei province, the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak, urging them to cancel all travel to the region in an updated travel advisory on Monday. Canadian authorities referred to the “heavy travel restrictions” now in place in the southeastern Chinese province to limit the spread of the virus that has so far claimed at least 82 lives in China and has spilled over to further 15 countries, including Canada itself.

Earlier in the day, Canada’s health officials said that a second patient – the wife of Canada’s first confirmed coronavirus case – had tested positive for the virus. The two arrived in Toronto from Guangzhou, China, on January 22. The authorities are currently looking into another 19 suspected cases.

Ottawa is following the US’ lead, as the State Department urged American citizens to reconsider travelling to China in its newest advisory on Monday, warning about “an increased risk” of infection and explicitly calling on Americans to avoid the Hubei province.

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