Tents stand on a wharf near the Grand Princess at the Port of Oakland in California on Monday. The cruise ship, which had maintained a holding pattern off the coast for days, was carrying multiple people, including several Canadian crew members, who had tested positive for COVID-19. (Noah Berger/AP Photo)

Grand Princess cruise ship passengers back in Canada

Like countries around the world, Canada continues to grapple with COVID-19.

On Monday, British Columbia health officials reported that an elderly man at a long-term care facility in North Vancouver had died, becoming the first COVID-19 death in Canada.

Federal Officials, meanwhile, continue to say the risk for Canadians remains “low”  saying the man’s death is not cause for panic.

As of Monday, the federal government was reporting 77 confirmed cases of the virus across the country.

In Ottawa Tuesday, Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said  228 Canadians were on board a chartered plane that landed at Canadian Forces Base Trenton, Ont., Tuesday morning, carrying passengers from the Grand Princess cruise ship that was finally allowed to dock Tuesday in Oakland, California after idling off the U.S. West Coast for several days.

Passengers step off a plane carrying Canadians back from Oakland, Calif. from the Grand Princess cruise ship, after it arrived at the Canadian Forces Base Trenton in Trenton, Ont., Tuesday morning. (Lars Hagberg/The Canadian Press

Nine Canadian passengers stayed behind in California with medical conditions not linked to the coronavirus.

In addition, a handful of Canadian crew on the ship will remain on board.

They were among the 21 persons on the Grand Princess who recently tested positive for COVID-19.

The Canadian passengers now in Trenton face a 14-day quarantine before they can return home.

On Monday, the Public Health Agency of Canada recommended that Canadians avoid all travel on cruise ships because the close quarters make for easy spread of disease. There are now three cases of cruise ships being quarantined because of confirmed or suspected cases of coronavirus on board.

“I’ve asked Canadians to think twice about going on cruise ships,” Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, told a press conference in Ottawa.

“The virus can spread quickly on board cruise ships due to the close contact between passengers. People with weakened immune systems are at risk of developing severe disease.”

Dr. Tam said the Public Health Agency of Canada continues to monitor the development of COVID-19, which she said “could change rapidly.”

Meanwhile, two Canadian politicians are in self-isolation after returning from a conference in Washington.

Also on Monday, the National Hockey League, along with the National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer, said locker rooms and clubhouses will be open only to players and essential employees until further notice.

With files from CBC (Adam Miller, Karin Larsen, Tim Reynolds), Canadian Press, CTV (Cillian O’Brien), Huffington Post (Premilla D’Sa), Global (Olivia Bowden), BBC

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