you're looking there at the diamond
princess and we spent so much time
covering that cruise ship as it was
docked in Yokohama Japan and the
passengers on board under quarantine for
weeks before some of them were allowed
to fly home to Canada and of course as
we know some of the Canadians had to
stay behind because they tested positive
251 Canadians all told on board that
diamond princess when coronavirus hit
and as we knew we found out later that
you know a good number tested positive
what we heard yesterday from government
officials that there are 54 Canadians
who are still in 24 different facilities
24 Japanese hospitals and of that number
43 of them are being hospitalized and
treated and surveyed for coronavirus or
related problems
one week ago you heard the story of one
of them in quite fantastic detail and it
was a story that much of the country was
discussing because it was our first
chance really to experience what the
Canadians in quarantine and Japan are
dealing with and John North got jump in
here I think we're good well I think I'm
not sure who we're introducing first
John brought you his story but here's
the man who we're talking about and it's
Craig Lee our Canadian on board that
ship and then as we learned had to be
taken to that facility in well eight
hours away from where you were in the
cruise ship and Craig is still there in
hospital and joining us both of us today
it's great to see you on our program
Craig in person thank you for being our
gasps okay oh we're good John's joining
and we've never done this to go we don't
want to be good forward to I'm really
looking forward to talk to Craig though
because he's got quite the story is
quite the story our first question is
basically a week later since we first
heard from you Craig how are you doing
I'm cinematic I don't have any fever I
don't have any lung problems of my
temperature is normal I have an appetite
ice well I'm just fine that's fantastic
but they must be still watching you very
closely I mean what are you going
through as far as tests and that kind of
thing okay every day they take my
amber she twice and they take what's
called the psp2 and it's the oxygen
content in your blood shows how well
show how well your lungs are working and
I get ninety nine inch time which is as
high as you can go I've had two tests
I'm waiting for the results and they are
the CPR which is poly chain reaction and
I need two of those negative tests in a
row in order to be released from the
hospital okay you still haven't had
those yet I've had the test but I'm
getting the results hopefully in two
days they they test for four days ago it
takes two or three days for them to the
lab and then give me the results okay so
that's good news by the time you're on
in the weekend maybe creating out John
yes also yes what are the you talked
about the conditions there that it isn't
officially a hospital
how is day-to-day life there it's really
quite comfortable
unlike the ship where we were confined
to our rooms a lot and we were given
mission to fill well beside once a day
for an hour at a certain time I can
wander the corridors of this hospital
the fifth floor only anytime I want
meals are brought to us and there the
bento boxes they're quite delicious the
staff are very friendly when I go by the
nurse's station the first time there
were pajamas I could take socks
underwear last the two days ago they had
four boxes of donuts that we could have
we wanted and I got one of our boxes
contained a note from the kitchen staff
I want to read it to you said we hope
you hope we hope you get well soon and
quickly returned home this is a very
hard time for you we stand beside you
from all the kitchen staff Wow
that's pretty fast it was in was in
Japanese and in English these people are
so supportive the nurses have with them
an iPad which has a translator on it so
we want any and we don't understand I
speak into it and then I get the the
answer from them through the computer
it's pretty amazing it's not a
communication we're looking very happy
Craig I should just tell you we were
looking at pictures of because you'd
sent us some pictures of your bento
boxes the food that you were given and
that's great that you have a good
appetite to be to be enjoying that
because you know that's better than some
people would say of hospital food we
also had shots of the care package that
initially Canadian officials gave to you
what is the relationship the ongoing
relationship like with the Canadian
Embassy the relationship with the
Government of Canada is wonderful we
have two persons councils from the
Canadian Embassy in Tokyo we contact
were in contact with him daily and
whatsapp yesterday a team came here they
could not see us because we're
quarantined apparently there were 12
Canadians here and they brought more
care packages with them but more
important the email today to tell us the
protocol that we have to follow in order
to get released from the hospital the
first one is we have to get as you
mentioned before to negative results
then we have to get a certificate of
health from the hospital knowing this
then we have to sign a form for the
Canadian Embassy which we sign and then
send to them and then finally the fourth
step they will give us a certificate of
health from the embassy and that allows
us to fly home that's a lot you know I'm
listening to you as you tell us all of
this and obviously it's an ordeal but
you seem to be really taking it well in
stride Larry as I look at things Craig
well my friend Larry who was on the
floor below me is constantly talking to
me through whatsapp and fortunately or
unfortunately I cannot receive emails so
every morning people email Larry and
then he reads me the emails and then I
respond to them today got 12 emails and
I answered about five of them
and also one for the insurance company
so because of this fault that I can't
use my iPhone for emails
it helps Larry and I passed the time I
was going to ask how you're passing the
time and I was also going to mention
Larry which is why I actually
inadvertently referred to as Larry your
traveling companion when you were taken
off that ship he was allowed to come
with you not to stay on the same floor
but he's one floor below you John was
telling us he has not tested positive at
all but how was he doing in all of this
he's fine but they are confined to the
rooms on the fourth floor because
someone down there was found positive so
I wanted to transfer it to anyone else
so he's confined to his room and I guess
for the last three days they're also
testing him so he's waiting for two
results as well on the negative things
yeah Craig I know you are an elementary
school teacher you've probably dealt
with lots of challenging situations in
your professional life how does this one
rate in terms of a personal experience
for you well it's a learning experience
people keep emailing me and saying I'm
so positive I really wish I was negative
so I could leave I keep my patience and
and I keep busy I have an e-book I just
started a novel it's called American
soil
no American dirt oh that's a really hot
one here at home too Craig oh yeah I
just started it and this is one of my
contacts through home I have an e-reader
and we share novels so a friend
recommended this so I emailed another
friend who is the
eb2 person and lo and behold it appeared
on my e-reader today so I an on page 30
right now I think he's gonna get lots of
emails maybe after our conversation I
have a couple quick questions can I just
clarify something Craig even though
Larry didn't test positive initially he
too has to have two negative tests
before he's let out and to come home
with you yeah yeah because the
incubation period for the Canora
coronavirus is such he could have gotten
it before he left his shift and it
wouldn't show up right away yes okay so
they they have
make sure that we don't home with any
chance of us infecting anybody alright
we'll hope for good results from him as
well here's my question based on the
news today I don't know if you're
hearing anything about this but you know
we're reading at home there's a top
Japanese health official Craig who today
is admitting that the Japanese response
and his words was not perfect in terms
of how they handled the diamond princess
situation and the quarantine in that
passengers like you were quarantined but
the crew was not so a lot of the crew
became sick and maybe that was partly
how it was spread so he's admitting some
failings on that part as you sit there
reflecting on everything that you're
going through what are your thoughts on
how they handle things from an official
perspective well there were 700 Souls on
that boat I don't know where in the
world you would be able to isolate that
many people on land so I think they did
best they could the Ministry of Health
repair took over the whole series of
decisions that they make made I think
they did as much as they could with what
they had to work for this is
unprecedented this hasn't happened
before
and sure I sure their most mistakes were
made but as the the time went on the
quarantine went on things change example
whenever we answered the door we had to
have our masks on the crew had to have
masks on all the time when they were in
the hallways they also were there giving
hand sanitizers when we went for our
walks and they were masked then as well
so I don't know I I don't want to follow
the Japanese government I think they did
whatever they could and very unusual
unprecedented circumstances and your
emails back and forth
it's been a long ordeal it will continue
to be so until you get those two
negative tests yeah what are you missing
most about Canada being home belonging
to my band belong to Mike
being mean being with my wife and son
having the freedom to get my car and
drive and get groceries or go to Tim's
or meet friends for coffee that sort of
thing
we're stuck on the fifth or there's no
way we can leave I don't even have
access to the elevators or the
stairwells so I miss the freedom and I
miss the well being home there's nothing
like home for the heart you know what
I'm betting that family members choir
members band members friends watching
this conversation this morning they're
gonna be super glad to see you looking
as well as you do and telling us that
you feel well which is great looking
forward to seeing you when you get home
Craig thank you so much and our best to
Larry as well I will tell him thank you
Heather
thank you John all the best Craig we'll
talk to you soon we thankfully hopefully
two days from now two negative results
as we speak to Craig let's hope let's
hope in Japan