Canada added another 6,261 new cases of the novel coronavirus Sunday as health officials in P.E.I. announced sweeping health restrictions to combat the spread of a new outbreak.
A total of 414,833 people have been diagnosed with the virus in Canada after Sunday’s update, of whom at least 326,800 have since recovered. The country’s death toll now stands at 12,665 after 76 more deaths were reported on Sunday.
To date, over 15,368,700 tests have been administered in Canada, while a total of 2,883 people are currently hospitalized from the virus.
The lingering second wave has prompted more provinces to tighten rules in an effort to get it under control.
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In P.E.I., officials announced a two-week “circuit breaker” in order to limit the spread of a small but growing outbreak in the Atlantic province.
According to the province’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. Heather Morrison, the restrictions will go into effect on Monday and include the banning of all in-restaurant dining as well as the closure of bingo halls and libraries.
2:13 Coronavirus: Ontario continues to see record setting COVID-19 positive cases for second day
Coronavirus: Ontario continues to see record setting COVID-19 positive cases for second day
“If we do not … take a hard approach dealing with this situation head-on, it will take us much longer to recover and we will have more devastating impacts,” Morrison said in a press conference Sunday.
With increased community caseloads, hospitalizations and fatalities, the country’s top doctor continued to ask Canadians to keep following public health advice, despite positive news about a potential vaccine.
2/2 As we prepare the way for widespread, lasting control of #COVID19 through safe and effective vaccines, Canadians are urged to keep up individual practices that keep us all safer, while protecting those at high risk. Here’s how: https://t.co/w27G7rHASE
“Although the road to widespread and lasting immunity to COVID-19 won’t be as sudden or as soon as we’d like, let’s stay grounded and not lose our footing,” said Canada’s chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam in a statement Sunday.
“This is especially important as we plan for the upcoming holidays.”
Tam said the spread of COVID-19 continues to occur in both high-risk populations including hospitals and long-term care homes across the country, as well as in Indigenous and remote areas.
“This continued impact on high-risk individuals, settings and populations is deeply concerning, putting countless Canadians at risk of life-threatening illness, causing significant disruption to health services, and presenting ongoing challenges for areas not adequately equipped to manage complex medical emergencies,” said Tam, who again noted the high susceptibility of those age 80 and older to the virus.
Ontario reported the highest number of new cases Sunday, with a record-breaking 1,924 more cases of COVID-19 in the province. Sunday’s data, which pushes the total caseload to 127,309, marks the second day in a row that the province broke a record in daily reported infections.
Fifteen more deaths were also reported, with a total of 3,772 people succumbing to the virus in Ontario. Another 107,990 cases there have since recovered, however.
Quebec added another 1,691 cases of the virus, as well as 24 additional deaths. The province is considered the hardest hit by the virus in Canada. It now has its total cases and fatalities standing at 151,599.
Cases in Saskatchewan surpassed the 10,000-mark on Sunday after another 409 cases were announced by health officials. The province’s death toll from COVID-19 also stands at 59 after four more deaths were reported.
2:33 Coronavirus: New Brunswick to move Moncton, Fredericton regions to Yellow alert level
Coronavirus: New Brunswick to move Moncton, Fredericton regions to Yellow alert level
Manitoba announced 14 more deaths on Sunday, raising its provincial death toll to 395. The province’s total cases were also raised to 18,806 after another 383 infections were identified.
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All of the provinces in Atlantic Canada each reported four additional cases on Sunday, with New Brunswick’s total infections standing at 534, Nova Scotia’s at 1,386, P.E.I.’s at 80, and Newfoundland and Labrador’s at 351.
Other restrictions in the province also included limiting organized gatherings to no more than 10 people, as well as limiting retail stories to a max capacity of 50 per cent.
Nunavut also reported two additional cases on Sunday as well, with the territory’s caseload standing at 216.
Worldwide cases of the virus have since surpassed 66.9 million as of Sunday evening, according to a running tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. The global death toll now stands at over 1,534,000, with the United States, Brazil and India continuing to lead in both cases and deaths.
LONGUEUIL, Que. – People in a part of Longueuil, Que., were being asked to stay indoors with their doors and windows closed on Thursday morning after a train derailed, spilling an unknown quantity of hydrogen peroxide.
Police from the city just east of Montreal said it didn’t appear anyone was hurt, although a CN rail official told a news conference that three employees had been taken to hospital as a precautionary measure.
The derailment happened at around 9 a.m. in the LeMoyne area, near the intersection of St-Louis and St-Georges streets. Mathieu Gaudreault, a spokesman for CN rail, said about eight cars derailed at the Southwark rail facility, including four that toppled over.
“As of this morning, the information we have is it’s hydrogen peroxide that was in the rail car and created the fumes we saw,” he said, adding that there was no risk of fire.
François Boucher, a spokesman for the Longueuil police department, said police were asking people in the area, including students at nearby schools, to stay indoors while experts ensure the air is safe to breathe.
“It is as a preventive measure that we encourage people to really avoid exposing themselves unnecessarily,” he told reporters near the scene.
Police and fire officials were on site, as well as CN railworkers, and a large security perimeter was erected.
Officers were asking people to avoid the sector, and the normally busy Highway 116 was closed in the area. The confinement notice includes everyone within 800 metres of the derailment, officials said, who added that it would be lifted once a team with expertise in dangerous materials has given the green light.
In addition to closing doors and windows, people in the area covered by the notice are asked to close heating, ventilation and air exchange systems, and to stay as far from windows as possible.
Gaudreault said it wasn’t yet clear what caused the derailment. The possibilities include a problem with the track, a problem with a manoeuvre, or a mechanical issue, he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2024.
HALIFAX – Nova Scotia’s Liberal party is promising to improve cellphone service and invest in major highways if the party is elected to govern on Nov. 26.
Party leader Zach Churchill says a Liberal government would spend $60 million on building 87 new cellphone towers, which would be in addition to the $66 million the previous Progressive Conservative government committed to similar projects last year.
As well, Churchill confirmed the Liberals want to improve the province’s controlled access highways by adding exits along Highway 104 across the top of the mainland, and building a bypass along Highway 101 near Digby.
Churchill says the Liberals would add $40 million to the province’s $500 million capital budget for highways.
Meanwhile, the leaders of the three major political parties were expected to spend much of today preparing for a televised debate that will be broadcast tonight at 6 p.m. local time.
Churchill will face off against Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Houston and NDP Leader Claudia Chender during a 90-minute debate that will be carried live on CBC TV and streamed online.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2024.
TORONTO – A group of hotel service workers in Toronto is set to hold a rally today outside the Fairmont Royal York to demand salary increases as hotel costs in the city skyrocket during Taylor Swift’s concerts.
Unite Here Local 75, the union representing 8,000 hospitality workers in the Greater Toronto Area, says Royal York employees have not seen a salary increase since 2021, and have been negotiating a new contract with the hotel since 2022.
The rally comes as the megastar begins her series of six sold-out concerts in Toronto, with the last show scheduled for Nov. 23.
During show weekends, some hotel rooms and short-term rentals in Toronto are priced up to 10 times more than other weekends, with some advertised for as much as $2,000 per night.
The union says hotel workers who will be serving Swifties during her Toronto stops are bargaining for raises to keep up with the rising cost of living.
The union represents hospitality workers including food service employees, room attendants and bell persons.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2024.
