- Parliament passes $107 billion COVID-19 aid package.
- Federal government streamlines, expands COVID-19 benefits program.
- Mandatory isolation orders for international travellers to kick in at midnight, health minister says.
- Recommendations for what kind of exercise is allowed while still practising social distancing.
- Read more: Here’s the latest on what’s happening in Canada and around the world.
Federal government streamlines, expands COVID-19 benefits program
Access to and eligibility for the federal government’s COVID-19 emergency benefits have been the subject of numerous emails from Coronavirus Brief readers. Today, Ottawa announced that it has streamlined the program and said Canadians who are struggling financially can now expect payments within weeks.
The Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) collapses the two previously announced benefits into one as the government struggles to cope with an unprecedented volume of employment insurance (EI) claims.
CERB offers income support for up to 16 weeks to those who lose pay because of the pandemic. A government news release said the “simpler and more accessible” program will cover Canadians who lost their jobs, got sick, are under quarantine or have to stay home because of school closures.
It’s available to wage earners, contract workers and self-employed people who don’t qualify for EI. Dozens of Canadian business groups, meanwhile, are calling on governments to make a “national effort” to protect jobs and keep essential goods moving during the COVID-19 crisis — one that would include direct income supports for laid-off employees.
Mandatory isolation orders for international travellers kick in at midnight, health minister says
All travellers returning to Canada — with the exception of what the federal government calls “essential workers” — will have to enter a mandatory 14-day quarantine as of midnight, federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu said.
Starting Thursday morning, Canada Border Services Agency officers will inform all returning Canadians and permanent residents of the new orders to begin isolation at home, and tell them that they are forbidden from stopping along the way.
The minister said officials will begin taking down contact information at the border to follow up with returning travellers and will be enforcing random inspections.
Hajdu told the Senate that individuals who exhibit symptoms will be banned from taking public transit to their places of isolation — but later clarified that all returning travellers will be forbidden from taking city buses, trains and subways.
In this time of social distancing, what is permitted in terms of going outside and getting some exercise?
Under social distancing guidelines, you can go out for groceries and other necessities — and you may also go out for some exercise.
Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious diseases specialist at the University of Toronto, said going for a jog with one other person is OK as long as you keep a two-metre distance from each other.
What about team sports? “Playing soccer, basketball or other t