VANCOUVER—Todd Wong didn’t get to see his mother this weekend.

He usually visits the 88-year-old every day at her North Vancouver care home.

But the Lynn Valley Care Centre is now dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak — an unnerving situation for those whose loved ones constitute one of the most at-risk groups for the novel coronavirus.

Wong knows it’s best practice to not visit unless it’s an emergency during an outbreak.

“Anytime there is an influenza outbreak there, they say please refrain from visiting. I would follow that,” he said.

“But I know she misses me and every time she sees me, there’s a big smile.”

B.C. health officials announced Saturday two senior residents at the Lynn Valley Care Centre had COVID-19. The day before, officials announced a health care worker at the centre had tested positive for the virus.

Seniors are at a much higher risk of developing complications.

At the Life Care Center in Kirkland, Washington — just a three-hour drive away — 13 residents have died after contracting the virus.

Wong said it’s not unusual to see warning notices about a case of influenzalike illness posted at the North Vancouver care home at least once a year.

Those same protocols will come in handy now in light of the COVID-19 outbreak, said Dr. Annalee Yassi, Canada Research Chair in Global Health at the University of British Columbia.

“The outbreak precautions that are used for influenza are indeed the right precautions for COVID-19,” she said. “The measures are really the same.” explaining that the two illnesses are both spread by droplets.

When Wong entered the lobby of the centre on Friday, carrying a bowl of congee his mother, he saw the familiar instructions posted on the wall.

Don’t visit unless “absolutely necessary” it read, along with the mantra that has become commonplace in recent weeks — wash your hands and stay home if you have symptoms.

The same advice is being given to Canadians across the country as authorities try to contain the spread of the virus and prepare to repatriate citizens on an affected cruise ship.

On Sunday, health officials in Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec announced several new cases of COVID-19 in their jurisdictions, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in Canada to five dozen.

In Alberta, one of two previously presumptive cases in Alberta has now been confirmed, and two more presumptive cases were recorded, according to Dr. Deena Hinshaw, the province’s chief medical health officer.

The province is now dealing with one confirmed and three presumptive cases in total, all of which are travel related.

“I want to underline that three of these four cases (are) linked to a single cruise ship,” said Hinshaw, referring to a Grand Princess cruise ship.

Hinshaw reiterated that people should stay home if they are sick to prevent the spread of the infection, but that the risk of being exposed to the novel coronavirus in Alberta is still very low.

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“There is no evidence that if you walk down the street and pass someone, that you are at risk of catching COVID-19,” said Hinshaw. “This is not like measles.”

Measles can spread through the air over time and long distances, whereas novel coronavirus does not spread in the same way, she said.

At least 60 people in Canada have COVID-19, including 27 confirmed cases in B.C., 29 in Ontario, three in Quebec, and one in Alberta.

Ontario authorities confirmed one new case on Sunday, bringing the total of COVID-19 cases in that province to 29. That case is a female in her 40s who fell ill after returning from Colorado on March 2.

Quebec’s health department said Sunday it has another presumptive case, in the Monteregie region southeast of Montreal in a person who returned from a cruise. That province is now dealing with two presumptive cases in addition to its two confirmed cases. Cases are treated as presumptive until the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg can run more tests to confirm the results.

The federal government confirmed Sunday it has secured a plane to repatriate the Canadians on board the Grand Princess cruise ship. The ship has been idling off the coast of San Francisco for several days and was headed to the port of Oakland, Calif. as of Sunday.

Out of about 3,500 passengers, there are 237 Canadians on board. Two passengers and 19 crew members, whose nationalities have not yet been disclosed, have tested positive for COVID-19 on the ship.

The Canadian passengers will be flown to the army base in Trenton, Ontario, the same location where Canadians in Wuhan, where COVID-19 was first detected, were taken for quarantine last month. There, the passengers will also undergo 14 days of quarantine, according to a government news release.

Canadian health officials are now advising people to avoid cruise ship travel, in light of the situation aboard the Grand Princess and other cruise ships recently plagued by COVID-19 outbreaks.

Meanwhile, B.C. continues to deal with an outbreak at the Lynn Valley Care Centre. The three cases there are the first recorded examples of community transmission of COVID-19 in Canada. These cases are distinct because they are not linked to travel outside the country.

Officials are conducting an investigation into the three community transmission cases at the long-term care home to determine how a health care worker contracted the virus.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said it’s possible the infected staff member worked in other facilities before the virus was detected.

The care home is now following an outbreak protocol that restricts visitors and imposes “infection control precautions” on all staff interactions at the facility.

Wong’s home is a five-minute walk from the care home, where his mother has lived since 2015.

“I’ve gotten to know the staff and everybody. They’ve been very caring.”

Wong said worrying about illness outbreaks is part of senior care. He took care of his father until he passed away in 2015 and still visits his 109-year old grandmother at another care home in Vancouver.

“Having done elder care for my parents for a long time, it’s something you get used to,” he said.

“Every day we’re here on Earth is a blessing.”

With files from Omar Mosleh, Mary Ormsby and The Canadian Press

Wanyee Li is a Toronto Star reporter based in Vancouver. Follow her on Twitter: @wanyeelii

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