Western provinces of Alberta and British Columbia shorten self-isolation period while Quebec imposes nighttime curfew.
Two Canadian provinces have shortened the self-isolation period for vaccinated individuals who test positive for COVID-19, as the country grapples with a surge in cases linked to the Omicron variant.
Alberta and British Columbia in western Canada are halving the required self-isolation period for vaccinated people with COVID-19 to five days, as Canadian provinces try and adapt to workforce challenges.
Unvaccinated people who contract the virus will still be required to self-isolate for 10 days.
“We are making these changes to help prevent disruptions in the Alberta workforce, especially for those who deliver services that Albertans count on,” Alberta Health Minister Jason Copping announced on Friday. The changes will take effect on Monday.
Alberta has also paused regular reporting of coronavirus data for the New Year holiday period.
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British Columbia will now offer a booster dose of a coronavirus vaccine to all pregnant women six months after their second dose, the province’s top doctor also said on Friday. BC reported a record 4,383 cases on Friday, a jump of nearly 50 percent from Wednesday.
In Canada, provincial governments are responsible for administering health care, meaning rules around quarantine periods, capacity limits and other responses to the pandemic vary considerably across the world’s second-largest country.
Meanwhile, Canada’s second-most populous province of Quebec reported 16,461 new coronavirus cases on Friday. The mainly French-speaking province will enact a daily, nighttime curfew starting at 10pm local time (3:00 GMT), among other restrictions aimed at stemming the spread of the virus and protecting Quebec’s strained healthcare network.
“It is an extreme action to take because the situation is extreme,” Premier Francois Legault said.
Also beginning at 5pm (22:00 GMT) on Friday, Quebec restaurants also will be limited to providing takeout or delivery service, while most indoor private gatherings are banned. Gyms, bars and other entertainment venues have been closed since early last week.
In addition, schools at all levels across Quebec will not reopen to in-person classes until at least January 17. Places of worship cannot open except to hold funerals, which will be limited to 25 people.
People queue to pick up coronavirus antigen test kits, as the latest Omicron variant emerges as a threat in Toronto, Canada, on December 22 [File: Cole Burston/Reuters]
In Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, classes had been scheduled to resume on Monday but that was pushed back to Wednesday. Ontario has also eased its isolation rules for vaccinated individuals who contract COVID-19 to five days.
Starting on Friday, Ontario is limiting eligibility for publicly funded PCR tests to high-risk individuals who are symptomatic or risk serious illness from the coronavirus. This includes hospital and long-term care home staff and residents, and people who live in Indigenous communities.
Ontarians who have COVID-19 symptoms but are not eligible for a publicly funded test should assume they are infected and follow the new, five-day self-isolation guidelines, health officials said.
In Ontario, like other provinces, anyone 18 and older is eligible for a third coronavirus booster shot three months after receiving a second dose.
In a New Year’s message, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urged eligible Canadians to get a booster shot to stem the rising tide of Omicron infections.
“With the threat of new variants, vaccination remains our best line of defence against COVID‑19, and we will need to keep working together in 2022 to put this pandemic behind us,” Trudeau said late on Friday.
It’s not quite midnight yet, I know, but we’re all ready to say this sooner than later anyway: happy New Year! Whatever you and your loved ones have planned for this evening, and in the year to come, Sophie and I are wishing you the very best. https://t.co/Olq27qzqT9
MONTREAL – One expert says entry-level pay under the tentative deal between Air Canada and its pilots could be a stumbling block ahead of a union vote on the agreement.
Under their current contract, pilots earn far less in their first four years at the company before enjoying a big wage increase starting in year five.
The Air Line Pilots Association had been pushing to scrap the so-called “fixed rate” provision entirely.
But according to a copy of the contract summary obtained by The Canadian Press, the proposed deal announced Sunday would merely cut the four-year period of lower pay to two years.
John Gradek, who teaches aviation management at McGill University, says as many as 2,000 of Air Canada’s roughly 5,200 active pilots may earn entry-level wages following a recent hiring surge.
After the airline averted a strike this week, Gradek says the failure to ditch the pay grade restrictions could prompt pushback from rank-and-file flight crew and jeopardize the deal, which is up for a vote next month.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024.
ROME (AP) — Salvatore “Totò” Schillaci, the Italy striker who was top scorer at its home World Cup in 1990, has died. He was 59.
Schillaci had been hospitalized in Palermo following treatment for colon cancer.
The Palermo Civico hospital said in a statement that Schillacci died on Wednesday morning after being admitted 11 days ago.
Schillaci scored six goals for Italy during the 1990 World Cup. He came on as a substitute during Italy’s opener against Austria, scored in a 1-0 victory, and went on to earn the Golden Boot awarded to the tournament’s top scorer. He only scored one other goal for Italy in his career.
Italian soccer federation president Gabriele Gravina announced that a minute of silence would be held in memory of Schillaci before all games in the country for the rest of the week.
“The uncontrollable celebrations, in which his face was the symbol of shared joy, will remain forever part of Italian soccer (history),” Gravina said. “Totò was a great player, a symbol of tenacious desire and redemption. … His soccer was full of passion. And that fearless spirit made everyone appreciate him and will make him immortal.”
Schillaci also won the Golden Ball award at the 1990 World Cup as the tournament’s top player ahead of Lothar Matthaus and Diego Maradona.
Schillaci played for Messina, Juventus, Inter Milan and Japanese team Jubilo Iwata during his club career.
“You made an entire nation dream during the Magical Nights of Italia ’90,” Inter said on its social media channels.
West Germany won the 1990 World Cup, beating Argentina in the final, while Italy beat England for third place with a winning penalty kick from Schillaci.
Roberto Baggio, who scored Italy’s opening goal in the third-place match, wrote on Instagram, “Ciao my dear friend.”
Having been born and raised in Palermo, the Palermo soccer team announced that it would hold a public viewing of Schillaci at its Renzo Barbera stadium ahead of the funeral, the Gazzetta dello Sport reported.
French soccer player Wissam Ben Yedder will stay free ahead of his trial on charges of sexual assault while intoxicated, one of his lawyers told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
Marie Roumiantseva said Ben Yedder will remain under strict judicial supervision after a woman filed a lawsuit for sexual assault earlier this month.
The 34-year-old Ben Yedder, a prolific striker in the French league, was briefly detained then released after the alleged incident in his car on the French Riviera. Ben Yedder had been stopped by police after he first refused to do so. He was then put in a jail cell.
After he was summoned to appear in court on Oct. 15 and placed under judicial supervision, the Nice prosecutor’s office appealed the decision not to remand the player in custody. The investigative chamber of the Court of Appeal of Aix-en-Provence did not grant this request and kept Ben Yedder under judicial supervision.
Ben Yedder attended a hearing Tuesday during which he offered to go to rehab. He has admitted he drove while under the influence of alcohol but has denied any sexual assault.
In a separate legal case last year, Ben Yedder was charged with “rape, attempted rape and sexual assault” over another alleged incident in the south of France.
Ben Yedder has been without a club since his contract with Monaco expired at the end of last season.
People queue to pick up coronavirus antigen test kits, as the latest Omicron variant emerges as a threat in Toronto, Canada, on December 22 [File: Cole Burston/Reuters]
