Canada wary of virus discrimination

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is cautioning against discrimination toward the Asian community over the coronavirus outbreak.

Trudeau urged Canadians to stay united and warned against the rise of prejudice as fears of the novel virus spread.

"There is no place in our country for discrimination driven by fear or misinformation," Trudeau said at a Lunar New Year celebration at a Toronto banquet hall Saturday. "This is not something Canadians will ever stand for."

On Friday, Health Minister Patty Hajdu said the country was not ready to declare a national emergency over the outbreak. Hajdu told the CBC that the current evidence doesn't justify such a declaration or restrictions on the movement of foreign nationals.

"We're comfortable that we're completely up to date in terms of our approach and what the science says. There is a very low risk to Canadians," said Hajdu. "Obviously, it is low because travel to and from the affected region is becoming more difficult. And of course, we have a very sophisticated system here in Canada."

Health Canada maintains there is no evidence that the virus can be transmitted by people who are asymptomatic, despite a German report suggesting otherwise, according to Hajdu.

News of the virus has led to reports of a re-emergence of racism and xenophobia against Asian people in Canada.

Members of Toronto's Chinese community are urging the public to refrain from spreading fear and stigmatizing the community.

Toronto Mayor John Tory urged the community to make sure that during a heightened time of anxiety, people shouldn't let "fake news triumph over the facts".

"We can't let fear or ignorance triumph over our values of community, understanding, respect and rejection of discrimination," Tory said at City Hall on Wednesday.

Canada's first coronavirus patient was discharged from a Toronto hospital Friday morning. The man, who is in his 50s, was confirmed to have caught the virus in Canada after he returned on Jan 23 after visiting Wuhan.

The man's wife also tested positive for the novel virus, known as 2019-nCoV, and has been recovering at home in self-isolation.