Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to offer an update on his government’s response to the novel coronavirus pandemic on Tuesday.
According to his official itinerary, Trudeau will address Canadians at 11:15 a.m. ET from Rideau Cottage where he currently is self-isolating.
That update comes a day after applications for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) officially opened.
READ MORE: Coronavirus — 3M says Canada will continue receiving N95 masks following U.S. deal
The program offers Canadians who’ve lost their jobs over the COVID-19 pandemic cash payments of $2,000 a month.
Officials have staggered the process by each applicant’s birthday so as not to overwhelm the system. On Tuesday, people with birthdays in April, May and June can apply for the emergency benefits.
In a statement released Tuesday morning, Canada Revenue Agency said 788,510 people had successfully applied for the emergency relief on Monday.
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About 572,500 of the applications for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit were made online, while almost 215,800 applied by calling in.
On Monday, officials confirmed to Global News that more than three million applications for CERB have been received since March 15.
Minnesota-based company 3M also confirmed on Monday it would continue to ship desperately needed N95 masks to Canada after reaching an agreement with the U.S. government.
During his daily COVID-19 response briefing on Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that his government had made a deal with 3M to produce 166.5 million face masks for its health-care workers.
A press statement from 3M released after Trump’s announcement confirmed that both Canada and Latin America would continue to receive supplies.
Last week, Trump asked the company not to ship the respirators to Canada as global demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) caused shortages.
On Saturday, Trudeau said officials are working “day and night” to secure much-needed PPE for Canada’s front-line workers from both international and domestic suppliers.
The government is also looking into whether some masks can be decontaminated and reused, officials said.
Health authorities have also changed their stance on the public’s use of masks during the outbreak.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Canada’s chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, said medical masks should be kept for those managing patients, but wearing non-medical masks is an additional measure that can be done to protect others.
Tam said it is important that Canadians learn how to use a mask properly, including practising proper hand hygiene before and after applying the mask and adjusting the fit correctly.
— With a file from Global News’ David Lao and the Canadian Press
© 2020 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
