A Canadian military plane, which was flying to Latvia on a NATO mission Thursday, was forced to turn around for fear that the troops on board may have been exposed to Covid-19. The decision was made when the Canadian Armed Forces learned that an individual at the military base in Trenton, Ontario, from which the plane had taken off, had tested positive for coronavirus, said Sunday July 5, Jessica Lamirande, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense. The individual could have come into contact with the 70 passengers and crew who were on the plane, she said.
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"The health and well-being of our members, and our allies and partners in Latvia, is a priority," wrote Jessica Lamirande in an email to AFP. "The decision was made to turn around rather than land in Latvia to avoid the risk of spreading the disease." The soldiers will have to spend 14 days in isolation in Trenton before they can be deployed again, she said, adding that the incident would not have a major effect on the Canadian mission in Latvia. Canada has approximately 540 soldiers deployed to Latvia where they have led a NATO Battle Group since 2017.