Mr. Speaker, I welcome this opportunity to reiterate that the Government of Canada takes safety and security of Canadians abroad and at home very seriously.
From the moment that this virus was identified as a public health risk, we have been exploring every avenue possible to assist Canadians in departing from Wuhan, China. This includes announcing that the Government of Canada has chartered an airplane to take Canadians from the affected area in China back to Canada.
Canadian officials in Ottawa and in China are working closely with their Chinese counterparts to work out all the details. We have also been collaborating with our partners to identify the best possible means to assist Canadians who wish to depart. Canadian officials are also in constant contact with our international counterparts, including the United States and the United Kingdom, to ensure co-operation and the sharing of best practices.
We have deployed the standing rapid deployment team members and other government officials to Hubei province to coordinate logistics surrounding the arrival and departure of the evacuation flight. This is a unit of specialized officials deployed during emergencies to provide critical services to Canadians who are in distress.
This situation has been evolving rapidly, and the number of Canadians asking for assistance is quickly changing. We had two requests eight days ago. As of today we have around 325 requests for departure assistance from Hubei, and that number may have changed since I got these notes.
We will do everything in our power to keep families together whenever possible. This means providing consular advice and assistance to permanent residents as well as citizens to the extent possible in the local context.
To protect the health of all Canadians, Chinese authorities will perform health screening and immigration controls before Canadians can board this special flight. Health screening will also be conducted by Canadian medical personnel before boarding, during the flight and at the final destination. Canadians appearing with symptoms will not be able to board the aircraft, and we will ensure appropriate protocols for Canadians once they arrive in Canada to protect their health and the health and safety of all Canadians.
The Government of Canada's priority is always the safety and security of Canadian citizens at home and abroad. I would like to take a moment to thank consular officials who have been working night and day on this situation. Canadians should be proud of their public servants and give them thanks for everything they have been doing all year in really extraordinary circumstances. They provide credible and timely information through our travel advice website to enable Canadians to make well-informed decisions regarding any travel abroad. Travel advisories are updated quickly to respond to events that may affect the safety of Canadians abroad. As such, on January 29 we increased our risk level to avoid non-essential travel to China due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
I want to thank the member for Cloverdale—Langley City for raising this concern. It is a concern that is shared by the government. It is a concern we are hearing equally. We are responding and Canadians will be safe and kept healthy.