News
Cruise Ship Passengers Depart the NAV CENTRE Following Completion of Quarantine: No Cases of COVID-19
2020-03-06
Canadian passengers who were aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan departed the isolated facility at the Cornwall NAV CENTRE on Friday morning, following completion of their two-week precautionary quarantine. There have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 found among the people in quarantine at the NAV CENTRE.
“We are pleased to announce that the quarantine has ended successfully, and that all of the individuals are finally able to go home,” says Dr. Paul Roumeliotis, Medical Officer of Heath at the Eastern Ontario Health Unit. “The standard incubation period for COVID-19 is 3-5 days, and these passengers have now been through two separate 14-day quarantines, with repeated health assessments over the last month. So we are very confident that they are healthy and can safely return to their usual activities at home and in the community without any risk to the public.” He adds that this includes taking taxis, using public transportation, going to the movies or other activities.
The NAV CENTRE continues to be safe for visitors, guests and employees. While no cases of COVID-19 occurred during the quarantine, the area where the quarantined guests were staying will be cleaned and disinfected as a standard procedure. Strict infection prevention protocols were in place throughout the quarantine period to ensure that there was no added risk to visitors, guests, employees or their families.
Dr. Roumeliotis attributes the overall success of the quarantine operation to the strong collaboration between partners in the effort, including the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), the provincial Emergency Medical Assistance Team, the Canadian Red Cross, the Eastern Ontario Health Unit, Canadian Armed Forces, the City of Cornwall, and the NAV CENTRE. “A lot of people worked hard to make sure the quarantined guests were well-cared for and their needs were met, while also ensuring that the community and NAV CENTRE employees were kept safe and updated with information.”
For more information on the COVID-19 coronavirus, visit www.Canada.ca/coronavirus or call the Public Health Agency of Canada’s coronavirus information line at 1-833-784-4397. Information can also be found at www.Ontario.ca/coronavirus or www.EOHU.ca.
