WINNIPEG -- A Winnipeg man who recently returned from Europe amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic said the situation quickly escalated during his time on the continent.
The man, who CTV Winnipeg is not naming, was in Europe during February and March travelling with his girlfriend. He arrived home in Winnipeg on Sunday, and is currently in self-isolation.
He said he first heard about the outbreak of novel coronavirus on a bus travelling from Hungary to the Czech Republic, three days before they were set to arrive.
“We really didn’t think anything of it to be honest, especially in the first part of our Europe trip,” the man said. “No one was really talking about it, and even when they started isolating people in northern Italy, there weren’t any reported cases in Rome, which was kind of where we were going.”
He says when they were in Italy, residents were outraged at how the media was handling the case.
“I remember one guy calling it media terrorism, because it was affecting their economy so much, and everyone was cancelling hotel reservations, stores that were usually full were empty,” the man recalled. “We actually got stopped quite a few times just basically by Italians, asking how the world is portraying them right now, and why they think it’s so serious.”
On March 9, the Italian government placed the entire country on quarantine, and all stores, with the exception of pharmacies and supermarkets, have been closed. As of Monday, 27,980 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported, with 2,158 deaths. A total of 2,749 have recovered from the virus.
“It was kind of a big wake-up call,” the traveller said regarding the quarantine.
The traveller went to Spain for three days, including attending a Barcelona F.C. match. He adds there were no additional precautions taken in that country to prepare for COVID-19.
“Everyone was going about their business,” he said. “Stores weren’t overflowing. It was just business as usual.”
Five days after leaving Spain, that country was quarantined as well.
The traveller said when he arrived in London, things began to escalate, with sporting events around the world getting cancelled, and the United States’ travel ban from Europe going into effect.
“At that point, we just wanted to be home,” he said.
When he arrived in Montreal, he had to undergo a screening process, listing where he had travelled, flight numbers, and if he has been showing symptoms.
At the end of the screening, he was given a pamphlet, informing him he may have been in contact with the virus, along with information about testing and self-isolation. He was recently tested in Winnipeg for the virus, and is awaiting results.
He said he is not feeling any symptoms, and regardless of the results, he is to stay in self-isolation for the next 14 days.
He said he believes Canada is learning from Europe in its response to the pandemic, and responding appropriately.
“I think it’s the right thing to do, to be honest,” he said. “Especially because you see what’s happening in other countries, like Italy, that didn’t really take it seriously."
-with files from CTV's Kayla Rosen
