By Canadian Press

Passengers on last flight into Canada from Rome talk of empty city

Mar 11, 2020 | 3:28 PM

MONTREAL — Travellers arrived on the last Air Canada flight from Rome to Montreal today talking about an empty city that felt under siege from the novel coronavirus.

Doris Hamelin and her husband Rejean Vallee said today at Montreal-Trudeau International Airport that they cut their vacation to Rome short because they wanted to make sure they got home.

Hamelin says restaurants were closed and the only place they could find food was at a grocery store, where they had to wait in line outside, keeping a distance of one metre from the next person.

Stephanie Gascon, an elementary school teacher from Laval, said the Rome airport and the plane back to Montreal smelled strongly of hand sanitizer.

Air Canada has suspended all service between Canada and Italy, which has the most cases of COVID-19 outside China.

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The airline says it will monitor the progress of the virus and plans to resume service to the country May 1.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 11, 2020

The Canadian Press