I think the unique demands of quarantines and lockdowns require a different approach, and we saw this with Canadians who were in Wuhan, and again those to whom we were providing consular services during the Diamond Princess quarantine in Japan. They require assistance in making the right contacts with local governments; they require support with interpretation sometimes in making themselves understood with foreign doctors; and they need to know where to reach out for help, and what kind of help is available to them.
We're providing instructions on preparedness, things that you can do, which are similar to what public health officials are telling Canadians here at home: to make sure that you have adequate supplies, that you have prescription medication you might require, that you are able to sustain yourself and that you have a local SIM card and a phone. There are a lot of very practical tips in our material.
Also, there is information on who you can reach out to at the embassy, the things that should cause you to reach out, for example, if you become ill or believe you might be sick. There is also information on the local restrictions and what will happen to you in different circumstances and on how to reach out to us 24-7.
Then if and when people are hospitalized or need medical care, it's about facilitating their communications with their families. It's about trying to make sure, even in environments where isolation and quarantine are necessary, that they can receive the essential goods and things they need. It's a different kind of consular service for someone who is required, by quarantine, to be at a distance, but we're equipping our missions to be able to provide those services in situ.
At this stage it's really about preparedness, just as it is here in Canada, to get through a few weeks of mandatory isolation until the quarantines are lifted around the world.