Sask. Chinese-Canadians who recently travelled choosing to ‘self-isolate’ in case of coronavirus

Saskatchewan’s Chinese-Canadian communities are taking steps beyond what’s being recommended by the province’s officials to ensure no potential cases of coronavirus are spread to the general population.

According to several members of Saskatoon’s Chinese-Canadian community, people who have recently returned to the city from China are taking it upon themselves to self-quarantine for 14 days — just to make sure they didn’t contract the novel coronavirus while in Asia.

During the self-imposed isolation, other members of the community are volunteering to buy groceries, run errands and contact employers or teachers for the people choosing to quarantine themselves inside their homes.

“(They’re) self-isolating for two weeks just to try to protect themselves and protect the public,” said Zhuoying Li, president of the Federation of Saskatoon Chinese-Canadian Organizations.

As of Friday afternoon, novel coronavirus had infected 9,700 people in China — killing at least 213 people. Four cases have been detected in Canada — three in Ontario and one in Quebec. The first patient diagnosed in Ontario was released from hospital Friday.

Li said many Chinese-Canadians who recently took trips to China either missed the cutoff of flights back to Canada or rescheduled to stay in the country to help prevent the spread of the virus.

Those who came back to Saskatchewan did so due to commitments to school and work, but many made the individual decision to stay away from the public for 14 days to ensure they didn’t have the virus.

It’s unclear how many people have made the decision to isolate themselves.

This move is made despite assurances from Saskatchewan school boards that students who have recently travelled to China were welcome in class if they didn’t show any symptoms of illness.

While under the self-imposed quarantine, they’re being supported by the broader Chinese community.

“It’s remarkable,” Li said. “They’re making phone calls, sending emails, representing those people to where they’re supposed to be physically to explain why they’re not there.”

The Chinese community leader said he hopes the decision to self-quarantine shows the wider population how seriously they’re taking the threat of the virus coming from their homeland.

“This is a bad time,” Li said. “But it’s also a good time to prove we are united together to face the problem.”

Suspicious message received in Sask.

On Wednesday, Saskatchewan’s chief medical health officer, Dr. Saqib Shahab, warned the province’s residents about spreading rumours about coronavirus on social media.

“I think it’s good to go to the credible websites because (the province) will always keep individuals up to date,” he said during a media conference. “If there’s a first case in Saskatchewan, that will be formally announced just like in other provinces.”

Based on Shahab’s comments, an email about coronavirus that was received by at least one Saskatchewan resident Friday appears to be a scam. There haven’t been any cases of the virus confirmed in Saskatchewan.

An email seeking comment from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wasn’t answered Friday.