Students in Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick headed back to classrooms on Monday — a move that comes amid a broader easing of restrictions in the two Atlantic provinces.
P.E.I. Premier Dennis King said earlier this month that teachers, administrators, parents and children have been “champions” through the period of remote learning, which had “brought its own challenges.” But as he announced the plan to shift back to in-person learning, the premier said it was time to get students back to classrooms.
New Brunswick started to ease up its rules late last week. Businesses that had been closed, including salons, dining rooms and gyms, were allowed to reopen with capacity limits as of 11:59 p.m. last Friday. Rules around gatherings, sports and recreation also eased up as part of a broader shift to a lower alert level.
New Brunswick on Monday reported a total of 152 COVID-19 hospitalizations — down by 12 from Sunday — with 16 people in the province’s ICUs, according to the province’s posted update. The provincial COVID-19 dashboard also reported five additional deaths, along with 169 new lab-confirmed cases.
Prince Edward Island‘s shift in restrictions begins Monday, with businesses that had been closed allowed to open with capacity limits.
Effective January 31, 2022 – businesses and organizations such as retail, casinos, museums and libraries can have up to 50% capacity with physical distancing. The vax pass program remains in place <a href=”https://t.co/bdu9zqb7Za”>https://t.co/bdu9zqb7Za</a> <a href=”https://t.co/dPprms6Pot”>https://t.co/dPprms6Pot</a>
Gyms are among the businesses on the island allowed to reopen under new COVID-19 measures that take effect today. The province said fitness facilities can reopen at 50 per cent capacity with physical distancing.
Health officials in P.E.I. reported a decrease in the number of hospitalizations from COVID Monday to 15 from 19. There are two people being treated in the ICU. There have also been 234 newly confirmed cases.
In Nova Scotia, there were 93 people in hospital with COVID-19 Monday, including 15 in the ICU. There were also an additional 256 confirmed cases.
Quebec, Ontario begin loosening Omicron restrictions
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Ontario and Quebec have started loosening restrictions brought in because of the Omicron variant as hospitalizations slowly recede. But with hospitals still under extraordinary pressure, doctors are wary of a bounce back. 1:57
With lab-based testing capacity deeply strained and increasingly restricted, experts say true case counts are likely far higher than reported. Hospitalization data at the regional level is also evolving, with several provinces saying they will report figures that separate the number of people in hospital because of COVID-19 from those in hospital for another medical issue who also test positive for COVID-19.
For more information on what is happening in your community — including details on outbreaks, testing capacity and local restrictions — click through to the regional coverage below.
In Central Canada, Canada’s two most populous provinces are embarking on a gradual loosening of restrictions put in place to try and stem the spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
Quebec is easing some COVID-19 restrictions on Monday, including allowing restaurants to open with limited capacity and a return of small private indoor gatherings.
The province on Monday reported 2,888 COVID-19 hospitalizations — down by seven from a day earlier — with 223 people in intensive care units. The COVID-19 situation report posted online by the province also showed 33 additional deaths and 2,423 additional lab-confirmed cases.
Ontario is also moving forward with a plan to ease some restrictions. As of Monday, restaurants, gyms and theatres in the province will welcome patrons back today for the first time in nearly a month. Larger venues will also reopen, with capacity limited to 50 per cent or 500 people — whichever is fewer.
It’s the first step in the province’s plan to gradually ease public health restrictions meant to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Ontario on Monday reported a total of 2,983 COVID-19 hospitalizations — down by 36 from a day earlier — with 583 people in intensive care units across the province. The provincial COVID-19 dashboard also showed a total of 32 additional deaths, though a spokesperson for Health Minister Christine Elliott noted that the deaths had occurred over the past 17 days. The province also reported an additional 3,043 additional lab-confirmed cases.
In the Prairie provinces, health officials in Saskatchewan on Monday reported a total of 363 COVID-19 hospitalizations — up by 14 from a day earlier — with 42 people in ICU. The province also reported two additional deaths and 748 additional lab-confirmed cases. Premier Scott Moe doubled down Monday on his assertion that the COVID-19 vaccine does not reduce transmission of the Omicron variant, something health officials say is false.
Manitoba and Saskatchewan have the highest seven-day case positivity rates in the country, at 32.7 per cent and 33.2 per cent respectively.
Alberta health officials reported Monday that an additional 20 people have been admitted to hospital with COVID-19, bring the total to 1,516, with 99 of them in the ICU. Another 6,537 cases of the virus were also confirmed in the province over the past three days, along with 35 new deaths.
In British Columbia Monday, there were 1,048 patients with COVID-19 in hospital — the first time the number exceeded 1,000 — 138 of them in the ICU. There were also 4,075 newly confirmed cases over the past three days and 19 additional deaths.
Across the North, there were 152 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Nunavut Monday, with no patients being treated in hospital with the virus.
Health officials in Yukon reported one person in hospital with COVID-19 along with 45 new cases.
There were no patients with COVID-19 in hospital Monday in the Northwest Territories, which reported 251 new cases.
-From CBC News and The Canadian Press, last updated at 8:25 p.m. ET
What’s happening around the world
As of Monday evening, more than 377.7 million cases of COVID-19 had been reported worldwide, according to a case-tracking database maintained by U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University. The reported global death toll stood at more than 5.6 million.
The highly transmissible Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus — the most common form of which is known as BA.1 — now accounts for nearly all of the coronavirus infections globally, although dramatic surges in COVID-19 cases have already peaked in some countries.
Scientists are now tracking a rise in cases caused by a close cousin known as BA.2, which is starting to overtake BA.1 in parts of Europe and Asia. Some early reports indicate that BA.2 may be even more infectious than the already extremely contagious BA.1, but there is no evidence so far that it is more likely to evade vaccine protection.
An ethnic Chinese worshiper wearing a face mask to help curb the spread of the coronavirus prays to celebrate the Lunar New Year at a temple in Jakarta Monday. (Achmad Ibrahim/The Associated Press)
In the Asia-Pacific region, people across Asia prepared Monday for muted Lunar New Year celebrations amid concerns over the coronavirus, even as increasing vaccination rates raised hopes that the Year of the Tiger might bring life back closer to normal.
China has detected 119 COVID-19 cases among athletes and personnel involved in the Beijing Winter Olympics over the past four days, with authorities imposing a “closed loop” bubble to keep participants, staff and media separated from the public.
Tokyo has launched a mass inoculation drive for COVID-19 booster shots at a temporary centre operated by the military as Japan tries to speed up delayed third jabs to counter surging infections.
Japan began administering booster shots to medical workers in December, but has only provided such inoculations to 2.7 per cent of the population after delaying a decision to cut the interval between the first two coronavirus shots and a booster to six months from the initial eight. On a smaller scale, people 65 and older can get booster shots elsewhere.
Staff dressed in COVID-19 safety gear direct people as they make their way through the first steps of customs, COVID-19 testing and accreditations upon arriving at the airport for the Beijing Winter Olympics on Monday. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)
Australia reported its lowest daily COVID deaths in two weeks on Monday while cases continued to trend lower as authorities braced for staff shortages in schools due to likely outbreaks as thousands of students return after their summer break.
Masks are mandatory indoors for older children and millions of at-home antigen tests, still not readily available in many stores, are being rolled out to families free of cost, with children asked to undergo COVID tests twice a week.
In the Middle East, health officials in Iran on Monday said 30 additional people had died from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours. The country also reported 28,995 additional cases.
In Qatar, the Ministry of Health said Sunday it had approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children aged 5-11.
A medical staff member prepares to treat a patient with COVID-19 at an ICU of an hospital in Krasnodar, in southern Russia, late last week. (Vitaliy Timkin/The Associated Press)
In Europe, Romania will from Tuesday drop a demand for travellers to quarantine if they are vaccinated, have proof of recovery from COVID-19 or can provide a negative test result, regardless of where they are coming from.
Russia reported a record daily number of COVID-19 cases on Monday as the Omicron variant spread across the country, authorities said. New daily cases jumped to 124,070, up from 121,228 a day earlier. The government coronavirus task force also reported 621 deaths in the last 24 hours.
The German government has failed to hit its goal of vaccinating 80 per cent of the population against COVID-19 before the end of January, roughly a month before lawmakers are expected to vote on a draft law on mandatory vaccinations.
In the Americas, the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advised against travel to a dozen destinations, including Mexico, Brazil, Singapore, Ecuador, Kosovo, Philippines and Paraguay.
Mexico on Sunday reported 131 more fatalities from COVID-19, raising the overall death toll since the pandemic began to 305,893.
In Africa, South Africa is no longer requiring those who test positive without symptoms to isolate and has reduced the isolation period for those with symptoms by three days, as the country exits its fourth COVID-19 wave.
-From The Associated Press, Reuters and CBC News, last updated at 5:30 p.m. ET
Montreal Alouettes wide receiver Tyson Philpot has announced he will be out for the rest of the CFL season.
The Delta, B.C., native posted the news on his Instagram page Thursday.
“To Be Continued. Shoutout my team, the fans of the CFL and the whole city of Montreal! I can’t wait to be back healthy and write this next chapter in 2025,” the statement read.
Philpot, 24, injured his foot in a 33-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Aug. 10 and was placed on the six-game injured list the next week.
The six-foot-one, 195-pound receiver had 58 receptions, 779 yards and five touchdowns in nine games for the league-leading Alouettes in his third season.
Philpot scored the game-winning touchdown in Montreal’s Grey Cup win last season to punctuate a six-reception, 63-yard performance.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
NAPA, Calif. (AP) — David Lipsky shot a 7-under 65 on Thursday at Silverado Country Club to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Procore Championship.
Winless in 104 events since joining the PGA Tour in 2022, Lipsky went out with the early groups and had eight birdies with one bogey to kick off the FedEx Cup Fall series at the picturesque course in the heart of Napa Valley wine country.
After missing the cut in his three previous tournaments, Lipsky flew from Las Vegas to Arizona to reunite with his college coach at Northwestern to get his focus back. He also spent time playing with some of the Northwestern players, which helped him relax.
“Just being around those guys and seeing how carefree they are, not knowing what’s coming for them yet, it’s sort of nice to see that,” Lipsky said. “I was almost energized by their youthfulness.”
Patton Kizzire and Mark Hubbard were a stroke back. Kizzire started on the back nine and made a late run with three consecutive birdies to move into a tie for first. A bogey on No. 8 dropped him back.
“There was a lot of good stuff out there today,” Kizzire said. “I stayed patient and just went through my routines and played well, one shot at a time. I’ve really bee working hard on my mental game and I think that allowed me to rinse and repeat and reset and keep playing.”
Mark Hubbard was at 67. He had nine birdies but fell off the pace with a bogey and triple bogey on back-to-back holes.
Kevin Dougherty also was in the group at 67. He had two eagles and ended his afternoon by holing out from 41 yards on the 383-yard, par-4 18th.
Defending champion Sahith Theegala had to scramble for much of his round of 69.
Wyndham Clark, who won the U.S. Open in 2023 and the AT&T at Pebble Beach in February, had a 70.
Max Homa shot 71. The two-time tournament champion and a captain’s pick for the President’s Cup in two weeks had two birdies and overcame a bogey on the par-4 first.
Stewart Cink, the 2020 winner, also opened with a 71. He won The Ally Challenge last month for his first PGA Tour Champions title.
Three players from the Presidents Cup International team had mix results. Min Woo Lee shot 68, Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., 69 and Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., 73. International team captain Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., also had a 69.
Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., had a 68, Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., and Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., shot 70 and Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., had a 71.
Lipsky was a little shaky off the tee for much of the afternoon but made up for it with steady iron play that left him in great shape on the greens. He had one-putts on 11 holes and was in position for a bigger day but left five putts short.
Lipsky’s only real problem came on the par-4 ninth when his approach sailed into a bunker just shy of the green. He bounced back nicely with five birdies on his back nine. After missing a 19-foot putt for birdie on No. 17, Lipsky ended his day with a 12-foot par putt.
That was a big change from last year when Lipsky tied for 30th at Silverado when he drove the ball well but had uneven success on the greens.
“Sometimes you have to realize golf can be fun, and I think I sort of forgot that along the way as I’m grinding it out,” Lipsky said. “You’ve got to put things in perspective, take a step back. Sort of did that and it seems like it’s working out.”
Laird stayed close after beginning his day with a bogey on the par-4 10th. The Scot got out of the sand nicely but pushed his par putt past the hole.
Homa continued to have issues off the tee and missed birdie putts on his final four holes.
GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Canada’s Marina Stakusic is moving on to the quarterfinals of the Guadalajara Open.
The Mississauga, Ont., native defeated the tournament top seed, Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (0) in the round of 16 on Thursday.
Stakusic faced a 0-4 deficit in the third and final set before marching back into the match.
The 19-year-old won five of the next six games to even it up before exchanging games to force a tiebreaker, where Stakusic took complete control to win the match.
Stakusic had five aces with 17 double faults in the three-hour, four-minute match.
However, she converted eight of her 18 break-point opportunities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
