Calgary family finally heads home after weeks in quarantine — and knows exactly what they'll do first

A Calgary man who spent nearly a month under quarantine with his wife and two young children due to the coronavirus outbreaks is finally on his way home — and knows exactly what he's going to do when he gets there.

"I definitely need a haircut!" said Rocky Bin Zhang, 33, who was born in China but moved to Calgary in 2005 and is a permanent resident in Canada.

"And my wife has been telling me that the next morning, we're going to have some dim sum at a Chinese restaurant, because she misses some traditional Chinese food."

Zhang, wife Emiley and their two young children — eight-month-old Owen and three-year-old Aria — arrived in Wuhan, the city where he was born, on Dec. 13 to visit relatives.

They were trapped in Wuhan when the coronavirus outbreak led to the city's lockdown, but were among the first Canadians to be airlifted out of the city, on Feb. 6.

The family spent 14 days under a second quarantine at a Canadian Forces base in Trenton, Ont., where the returning passengers underwent daily medical assessments. All of the Canadians who were aboard the first airlift were to be released on Friday.

Calling from a bus on its way to the Toronto Pearson International Airport, Zhang told the Calgary Eyeopener his family was excited to be finally heading home.

Quarantine was 'really difficult' for young daughter

Zhang said parenting during the quarantine presented challenges.

The markedly slower lifestyle was a difficult adjustment for Aria, he said.

"She typically has a lot of activities going on while we were in Calgary. She had gymnastics, she has dance and music lessons and ski and skating lessons. So, she spends a lot of her energy outside," Zhang said.

"This past month has been really difficult for her, for sure."

While at CFB Trenton, Zhang said the family was fortunate to discover a playground within their housing complex during their second week.

"We took her there pretty much every day, sometimes twice a day, just so that she can run around a little bit," Zhang said.

Though there was a two-metre rule in place at CFB Trenton, Zhang said it wasn't strictly enforced, and kids were able to interact on the playground.

However, he said everyone wore a mask — including babies.

Quarantine was 'bonding time' for family

But Zhang also said that time spent in isolation wasn't all bad. His family enjoyed spending time together while sequestered — though their activities were limited.

"It's a lot of bonding time with family members, that's for sure. But on the other hand, you know, we did lose a bit of our freedom, because we couldn't go out to enjoy our lives," Zhang said.

"On the bright side, I think we were also keeping ourselves away from the virus, and we're just very happy that we are all healthy in the end."

Through the journey, they also realized how fortunate they are.

"There's so many people who love us, who care about us and has shown their love towards us, and [we're] just really happy that there's so much support to my family and to all the people under quarantine … at CFB Trenton," Zhang said.

Zhang offers advice for the newly quarantined — relax

As the Zhangs left CFB Trenton, more Canadians arrived Friday for medical assessments before they were to be moved to the NAV Centre in Cornwall, Ont., for a 14-day quarantine.

They had been airlifted from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which has been docked in Japan since Feb. 3 over concerns about coronavirus.

When asked what advice he would give other Canadians who will be living under quarantine, Zhang suggested that people try to relax; having a bit of free time is a luxury, he said.

"Don't see it as a quarantine, because, I mean, it's not as bad as people make it," Zhang said.

"There's a lot of good people there helping you, supporting you, and you know they will be in good hands."

No Alberta cases yet

Alberta Health Services announced on Friday that Alberta continues to have no outbreaks of coronavirus.

So far, 117 people have been tested, and all results were negative.

Alberta's Chief Medical Officer of Health Deena Hinshaw said in a statement on Friday that though the provincial risk for an outbreak is low, Albertans should still maintain good hygiene.

Hinshaw also addressed the potential for social isolation and racism.

"I would ask that you don't make assumptions about a person's risk based on their ethnicity or country of origin, and by reminding others of this as well," she said. "We are stronger together."

Asian communities in Canada reported a rise in racist incidents linked to the SARS outbreak in 2003.