17.49°C Vancouver

Jan 29, 2020 9:40 PM -

Expat family expecting baby soon hopes Britain can get them out of China

Share On
plane-arranged-to-fly-160-canadians-out-of-wuhan
Tom Williams along with his wife Lauren and son James are seen in this undated handout photo. Tom Williams is a British expat who has been living and working for about five years in Wuhan, which is the capital of Hubei province in China. His wife Lauren, who is from Langley, B.C., is about 35 weeks pregnant, he said in a telephone interview from Wuhan. He also has a two-and-a-half-year-old son, James, who was born in White Rock, B.C. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, Tom Williams *MANDATORY CREDIT*

A pregnant Canadian woman, her young Canadian son and Tom Williams, the child's British father, are the latest to share their concerns about getting out of Wuhan, the Chinese epicentre of an outbreak of a new strain of coronavirus.

Williams says his wife is 35-weeks pregnant and his son is under three years of age, and the whole family is waiting for word about whether they will be allowed to depart Wuhan later today on a flight organized by the British government.

As they were waiting, the Canadian government announced it has arranged a plane to fly 160 Canadians out of Wuhan -- but details are still being worked out and there's no word if Williams and his family will be on it.

An outbreak of the novel flu-like respiratory illness began in Wuhan late last year, infecting more than six-thousand people and spreading to other countries, including Canada, although health officials here say the risk of transmission remains low.

Latest news

CanadaJul 08, 2026

WSO welcomes Operation Hard Ball arrests, says questions remain about alleged role of Indian authorities

The World Sikh Organization of Canada (WSO) has welcomed Operation Hard Ball, a joint law enforcement initiative by authorities in the United States, Canada and Europe targeting the Lawrence Bishnoi network and other India-based organized crime groups. In a statement, WSO President Danish Singh said the arrests made through the operation represent an important step but argued that questions remain about how Lawrence Bishnoi was allegedly able to operate an international criminal network while in custody in India. Singh also called for scrutiny of whether any Indian officials played a role in f
AlbertaJul 08, 2026

Edmonton city councillor's son among 28 arrested in international child sexual abuse material investigation

Rocco Caterina, the son of former Edmonton city councillor Tony Caterina, has been charged following an international investigation into online child sexual abuse material. According to investigators, the 40-year-old was arrested on May 27 at his home in Stony Plain, Alta. He is charged with accessing and possessing child sexual abuse material. The allegations have not been proven in court. Authorities said the arrest was part of an international operation led by the Norwegian National Criminal Investigation Service. The investigation resulted in 28 arrests across 14 countries. Investigators a
punjab-cm-bhagwant-mann-urges-voters-to-complete-special-intensive-revision-process
IndiaJul 08, 2026

Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann urges voters to complete Special Intensive Revision process

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has urged eligible voters across the state to participate in the Election Commission of India's ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and complete the required forms to ensure their names remain on the voter list. In a video message issued from Bengaluru, Mann said the Election Commission's voter list revision exercise is underway and appealed to residents to verify their details by submitting the prescribed forms. According to the chief minister, the process is intended to keep electoral rolls updated. Mann also claimed that individual
WorldJul 08, 2026

NATO leaders announce €70B in military aid for Ukraine as summit concludes

NATO member countries have pledged €70 billion in military assistance for Ukraine following the conclusion of a two-day NATO summit in Ankara, according to a joint declaration issued after the meeting. The alliance said it will increase investment to strengthen the deployment, operation and long-term readiness of its armed forces. The declaration states that NATO plans to expand capabilities in long-range precision strike weapons, air and missile defence systems, drones, advanced technologies and intelligence operations. Separately, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United State
AlbertaJul 08, 2026

Mount Royal University investigates cyberattack after student, employee data compromised

Mount Royal University says it is investigating a cyberattack that resulted in some student and employee information being accessed, while other departmental data was deleted. According to a statement from the university, affected students and employees were notified on June 18. The university said some data was both accessed and removed, while certain departmental information was deleted without evidence that it had been viewed. The university said it may not be possible to fully recover all affected data. As a precaution, it is offering eligible individuals credit monitoring and identity the

Related News