Ontario introduced strict new rules around how people can use outdoor spaces late Monday as the province tries to slow the spread of COVID-19, hours after the prime minister unveiled new details about how a plan to subsidize salaries and support businesses will work. Read on for a look at what’s happening in Canada and around the world.
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Ontario introduced strict new rules around how people can use outdoor spaces late Monday as the province tries to slow the spread of COVID-19, hours after the prime minister unveiled new details about how a plan to subsidize salaries and support businesses will work.
Ontario issued an order under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act to close “all communal or shared, public or private, outdoor recreational amenities” in the province. The measure covers everything from beaches to playgrounds and off-leash dog parks.
The government of Ontario, which had already closed provincial parks and conservation areas, said in a statement that “green spaces in parks, trails, ravines and conservation areas that aren’t otherwise closed would remain open for walkthrough access” but reiterated that people moving through these spaces need to stay two metres apart.
The coronavirus outbreak, which began in China in late 2019 and has now spread to countries in all corners of the world, has stretched provincial health systems, strained protective gear supply systems and crippled many companies.
The federal government’s latest plan includes wage subsidies of up to 75 per cent for businesses — big and small — that see at least a 30 per cent revenue drop. The temporary subsidies are also available to non-profits, many of which have seen a surge in demand as people struggle to pay bills.
The prime minister urged businesses who could afford to cover the remaining 25 per cent to do so, and cautioned against trying to take advantage of a system meant to keep companies afloat during a time of crisis.
“If you have the means to pay the remaining 25 per cent that is not covered by the subsidy, do it,” Trudeau said. “And if you think this is a system you can game or take advantage of, don’t.”
- Want to know how the plan for business works? CBC’s Kathleen Harris looks into the wage subsidy, including rules around eligibility and details on how much it could pay out.
Speaking after Trudeau’s update outside Rideau Cottage, Canada’s chief public health officer, Dr. Thersa Tam, reiterated a call to do everything possible to protect the vulnerable.
Tam said public health teams are doing “everything we can” to increase testing capacity for the coronavirus. She said Canada has been improving but added “we can do better.” The government is looking at a range of measures, including upping capacity at provincial labs and scrutinizing new potential testing methods.
Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, meanwhile, said Monday that Canada’s armed forces have 24,000 regular and reserve members ready to respond as needed.
The military, he said, could help with logistics, shipping or other needs that crop up amid the outbreak, including flooding or forest fires.
Sajjan said the military had asked many members to self-isolate early in the outbreak to ensure they had healthy people if needed down the road. The defence minister said the military has prioritized the ability to be flexible in its response, with a particular emphasis on being able to serve people in the North.
Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jonathan Vance said troops have been sequestered to stay as “healthy as possible” so they are ready to go if needed. The response is “scalable” depending on the nature of the problem, Vance said.
WATCH | Vance talks about what the military can offer in a pandemic:
Canada’s top military commander Gen. Jonathan Vance says the Canadian Armed Forces are prepared to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. 1:01
The United States was poised Tuesday to overtake China’s reported virus death toll of 3,300. But experts say all numbers reported by governments and states in this pandemic are faulty in different ways, due to the lack of testing, mild virus cases that are missed, or the determination of some governments to try to seize and shape their pandemic narrative. China, for example, faced questions at the height of its outbreak as it changed the way it determined who was a confirmed case, and Iran faced questions about whether it was accurately reporting cases.
“This is going to be a long-term battle and we cannot let down our guard,” said Dr Takeshi Kasai, the World Health Organization’s regional director for the western Pacific. “We need every country to keep responding according to their local situation.”
As of 6 a.m. ET on Tuesday, Canada had 7,474 confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19, with 92 deaths. Provinces and territories reported 1,114 cases as resolved, though it’s important to note that data isn’t available in all areas. The numbers, which are updated at least daily by the provinces and territories, are not a complete picture, as they don’t account for people who haven’t been tested, those being investigated as a potential case and people still waiting to learn the results of their test.
There have also been two reported COVID-19 related deaths of Canadians abroad — one in Brazil and one in Japan.
- Get a closer look at what’s happening in your province with the COVID-19 case tracker
- The flurry of daily pandemic data can be overwhelming. Here’s how to make sense of it
The novel coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death.
The Public Health Agency of Canada, which has been monitoring the outbreak and emerging research, says that the situation around COVID-19 changes daily, but describes the novel coronavirus as a “serious” health threat.
“The risk will vary between and within communities, but given the increasing number of cases in Canada, the risk to Canadians is considered high.”
WATCH | The latest information on masks and who experts say should wear them:
While public health officials tell Canadians not to wear masks unless they’re sick, other countries take a different approach, leading to confusion for some. 2:05
Read on for a look at what’s happening in your part of Canada, the U.S. and some of the hard-hit areas of the world.
Here’s what’s happening in the provinces
In British Columbia, the province recorded its first at-home death from COVID-19. “We are not through the storm yet. We have not yet reached our peak,” said top public health official Dr. Bonnie Henry as she stressed the need to stay home. Get the latest on what’s happening in B.C., including a call from some business owners for help with rent.
Alberta’s chief medical officer issued a call to “redouble our efforts to protect those who are most vulnerable” to COVID-19 a