By Canadian Press

A Canadian evacuee describes life under quarantine at CFB Trenton

Feb 10, 2020 | 2:40 PM

CFB TRENTON, Ont. — A Canadian evacuee from the Chinese epicentre of the novel coronavirus outbreak says life under quarantine at an Ontario military base can feel like “summer camp.”

Myriam Larouche is among the Canadians who were flown in from Wuhan, China, late last week to undergo two weeks of quarantine at Canadian Forces Base Trenton.

Larouche says she’s comfortable in her private room at Yukon Lodge, where she has meals brought to her door and is checked twice a day for symptoms of the virus.

The 25-year-old student from L’Ascension, Que., says she keeps busy by catching up on homework, watching TV or going outside to get some fresh air.

She says she’s allowed to socialize with fellow evacuees — from a two-metre distance — and the company has been a welcome relief from the isolation she felt waiting in Wuhan.

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Larouche says she’s stays in high spirits by reminding herself that with every day that passes in quarantine, she’s one day closer to being reunited with her friends and family.

“In China, I was trapped in my room in the dorms. I couldn’t go out. But here, I might have to stay in my room or inside of the hotel, but I don’t feel like I’m locked in,” says Larouche, who was in Wuhan studying tourism management.

“It kind of feels like summer camp.”

A Health Canada spokeswoman says none of the 213 Canadians who were flown in from Wuhan on Friday has exhibited symptoms of the virus.

A second Canadian plane landed in the Hubei Province in China on Monday morning to bring home the last group of Canadians who want to be repatriated on Tuesday, said Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne.

About 11 million people are currently under quarantine in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, where the new coronavirus is believed to have originated.

Health authorities have documented seven confirmed cases in Canada of the illness, known as 2019-nCoV.

There have been more than 40,000 cases reported in mainland China, with a death toll of 908.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 10, 2020.

The Canadian Press