The latest developments on COVID-19 in Canada

Trudeau says the ongoing discussions between provincial governments and Ottawa are informing how provinces decide what parts of their economies to reopen and which restrictions to scale back.

Yet Trudeau is also warning against throwing away the gains that have been achieved through the past few weeks of sacrifice by throwing caution to the wind, noting the second wave of the Spanish flu in 1918 was particularly devastating.

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11:20 a.m.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his government is working with other federal political parties to establish support mechanisms for students.

Trudeau hinted that legislation aimed at helping students will be a focus when members of Parliament hold their first virtual House of Commons session tomorrow and a special in-person sitting on Wednesday.

He also referenced Ontario’s decision over the weekend to boost the pay of essential workers by $4 an hour as an example of other types of measures the government is talking about with the provinces.

Trudeau also said the federal government has no plans to close borders or restrict movement between different regions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 as provinces begin to reopen their economies.

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11:15 a.m.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says 10,000 businesses have applied for the federal government’s new wage subsidy since applications for the program opened at 6 a.m.

Trudeau says the number of applications underscores the scope of the challenge companies are facing because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Companies will be able to receive up to $847 per employee per week from the federal government.

Trudeau says the money should start flowing by May 7.

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11:10 a.m.

Nova Scotia is reporting 27 new cases of COVID-19, pushing the number of confirmed cases to 900.

Health officials say 12 people are currently in hospital with three of those patients in intensive care.

A total of 24 people have died as a result of contracting the virus, with the majority of the deaths occurring in nursing homes.

The province says 10 licensed long-term care homes and unlicensed seniors’ facilities have cases of COVID-19, involving 198 residents and 95 staff.

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10:40 a.m.

Ontario is reporting 424 new COVID-19 cases, and 57 new deaths.

That brings the total of cases in the province to 14,856, a 2.9 per cent increase over Sunday’s total, continuing several days of lowering growth rates.

Ontario’s total number of cases includes 892 deaths and 8,525 resolved cases.

In long-term care — information that comes from a separate database — there were 17 more deaths in the previous day and there are now outbreaks in 150 homes.

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8 a.m.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is set to lay out his plan today for reopening the province.

All businesses deemed non-essential were ordered to close last month as part of a series of emergency measures meant to curb the spread of the virus.

The state of emergency was recently extended until mid-May.

Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick have already announced tentative timelines for reopening their economies.

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7:15 a.m.

A new survey released today shows half of Canadians who participated report their mental health has worsened due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The study by the Angus Reid Institute aims to shed light on how the economic uncertainty and social distancing measures brought on by the pandemic have affected the psychological well-being of Canadians.

It says that when asked to describe their primary feelings in recent weeks, 44 per cent of respondents said they’re worried, 41 per cent said they’re anxious and 30 per cent said they’re bored.

But a third — 34 per cent — also said they’re grateful.

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

The latest developments on COVID-19 in Canada

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