Canadians who are looking to meet friends and family at a bar should consider the risk factors of contracting the coronavirus, deputy chief public health officer Dr. Howard Njoo said Tuesday.
“A risk factor in terms of getting together in a bar… is alcohol. And after one or two drinks, people might feel less inhibited,” Njoo said at a media conference. “And if you go in with good intentions with wearing a mask and social distancing… who knows, after one or two drinks, that might change.”
More evidence is showing that the risk of contracting the coronavirus indoors is higher, and hanging out at a crowded bar with loud talking and touching surfaces may put you at higher risk, the health official warned.
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“The fact that people might be there for a long period of time… Duration puts people at higher risk. People need to evaluate at a personal level the risks and benefits of going to a bar and what they can do to mitigate that risk,” Njoo added.
On Tuesday, the city confirmed that at least 30 cases of the novel coronavirus have been detected among people who frequented nine bars since July 1.
2:23 Toronto bar in hot water for lack of physical distancing
Toronto bar in hot water for lack of physical distancing
On Saturday, Quebec public health authorities urged anyone who has visited a bar in the city since July 1 to get tested for COVID-19.
Montreal health official Dr. David Kaiser said on Tuesday that at least 3,000 people have been tested since that call.
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Although bars are slowly reopening across Canada, physical-distancing rules remain in place. For example, in Ontario and Quebec, a distance of two metres must be maintained between customers at bars.
Last week, Quebec tightened rules around bars in order to limit the spread of the virus, including cutting hours and ordering establishments to operate at half capacity.
In Ontario, bars in most regions will be allowed to reopen starting July 17.
TORONTO – Restaurant Brands International Inc. reported net income of US$357 million for its third quarter, down from US$364 million in the same quarter last year.
The company, which keeps its books in U.S. dollars, says its profit amounted to 79 cents US per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with 79 cents US per diluted share a year earlier.
Revenue for the parent company of Tim Hortons, Burger King, Popeyes and Firehouse Subs, totalled US$2.29 billion, up from US$1.84 billion in the same quarter last year.
Consolidated comparable sales were up 0.3 per cent.
On an adjusted basis, Restaurant Brands says it earned 93 cents US per diluted share in its latest quarter, up from an adjusted profit of 90 cents US per diluted share a year earlier.
The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 95 cents US per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Fortis Inc. reported a third-quarter profit of $420 million, up from $394 million in the same quarter last year.
The electric and gas utility says the profit amounted to 85 cents per share for the quarter ended Sept. 30, up from 81 cents per share a year earlier.
Fortis says the increase was driven by rate base growth across its utilities, and strong earnings in Arizona largely reflecting new customer rates at Tucson Electric Power.
Revenue in the quarter totalled $2.77 billion, up from $2.72 billion in the same quarter last year.
On an adjusted basis, Fortis says it earned 85 cents per share in its latest quarter, up from an adjusted profit of 84 cents per share in the third quarter of 2023.
The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 82 cents per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.
TORONTO – Thomson Reuters reported its third-quarter profit fell compared with a year ago as its revenue rose eight per cent.
The company, which keeps its books in U.S. dollars, says it earned US$301 million or 67 cents US per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30. The result compared with a profit of US$367 million or 80 cents US per diluted share in the same quarter a year earlier.
Revenue for the quarter totalled US$1.72 billion, up from US$1.59 billion a year earlier.
In its outlook, Thomson Reuters says it now expects organic revenue growth of 7.0 per cent for its full year, up from earlier expectations for growth of 6.5 per cent.
On an adjusted basis, Thomson Reuters says it earned 80 cents US per share in its latest quarter, down from an adjusted profit of 82 cents US per share in the same quarter last year.
The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 76 cents US per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.
