Macabre Halloween display left near Manitoba premier’s house as reminder of COVID-19 deaths.
U.K. cabinet minister says lockdown in England could be extended.
Turkish politician in Erdogan’s party dies from COVID-19.
Have a coronavirus question or news tip for CBC News? Email us at COVID@cbc.ca.
Ontario and Quebec are still reporting the highest daily counts in Canada for new cases of COVID-19, while farther west in Manitoba, officials have again reported hundreds of new cases as its capital city gets set for tighter restrictions.
Ontario reported 977 new cases on Sunday. In the province’s hot spots, there are 279 more cases in Toronto, 238 in Peel Region, 130 in Ottawa and 113 in York Region. The overall number was down from 1,015 new cases reported on Saturday.
Quebec added 965 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, down from 1,064 the previous day.
Manitoba’s new case count of 349 on Saturday was down from the record-smashing 480 reported Friday, but was still much higher than the province’s previous new-case record of 193 set Thursday.
Starting Monday, bars and restaurants in Winnipeg can open only for pickup or takeout, while facilities such as movie theatres, museums and libraries must close.
The measures, along with others, will last two weeks and be reassessed at that time.
Business in the St. Norbert Hotel bar in Winnipeg on Saturday was “average as it gets through these COVID times,” president Gerald Lambert said, although sales at the hotel’s beer store were brisk as people appeared to be getting set to drink at home.
“There’s other facilities that have far worse reports that are still allowed to be open, albeit at smaller capacity,” Lambert said, echoing the frustration many in his industry have expressed at the provincial government.
“In two weeks, I don’t know if this is going to make a difference or not.”
But Premier Brian Pallister also faced pressure Saturday from others who feel the new restrictions need to go further, with one group placing dozens of cardboard tombstones on the grass median outside his home.
A group of community members set up a display near the home of Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister, criticizing the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This tombstone refers to Parkview Place care home in Winnipeg, the site of the province’s deadliest COVID-19 outbreak. (CBC)
The Halloween-themed protest included epithets on the tombstones indicating people were dying from Manitoba’s reopening plan.
“I respect the right of any Manitobans to peacefully protest and encourage all who choose to do so safely to protect their health and that of others as well,” Pallister said in a statement issued Saturday.
Manitoba also reported four new deaths from COVID 19. Quebec reported 15 and Ontario reported nine.
Federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, meanwhile, tweeted Saturday that she’d just gotten a COVID-19 test after receiving an exposure notification from the COVID Alert app and is waiting for the results.
“I am isolating at home while I wait for the results of the test,” she wrote. “My thanks to our excellent health-care professionals.”
An exposure notification from the COVID Alert app prompted Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland to reveal on Saturday that she is self-isolating. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)
The COVID Alert app notifies users when someone who they’ve been in contact with tests positive for COVID-19.
There have been about 4.9 million downloads of the federal COVID-19 exposure notification app so far, with 2,939 Canadians using it to log a positive coronavirus test.
Only five million Canadians have downloaded the COVID Alert app in three months, partly because it’s not active in Alberta and British Columbia. Officials in B.C. want the app to give more information about COVID-19 exposure while Alberta has been delayed by its own app. 1:57
Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam stressed again Saturday that it’s important to continue with precautions to keep everyone safe and to lessen the burden on essential workers.
“Many of you [essential workers] have been on the front lines since the beginning, putting yourselves in harm’s way,” she said in a statement. “As individuals, we have an important role to play to minimize the COVID-19 burden on essential workers.”
What’s happening in the rest of Canada
As of 11 a.m. ET on Sunday, Canada had 236,454 confirmed or presumptive coronavirus cases. Provinces and territories listed 197,656 as recovered or resolved. A CBC News tally of deaths based on provincial reports, regional health information and CBC’s reporting stood at 10,171.
Saskatchewan announced 78 new cases on Saturday. Meanwhile, Moose Jaw police fined a person $2,800 for allegedly hosting a party “well over” the province’s 15-person limit for private gatherings.
Manitoba saw 349 new cases, along with four more deaths. One of the deaths — a woman in her 90s — is linked to an outbreak at Maples Personal Care Home in Winnipeg. The other people in Winnipeg who died are a woman in her 50s, a man in his 60s and a man in his 80s.
Nova Scotia recorded five new infections, bringing the total active cases into double digits for the first time since June. There are now 11 active cases of the virus in the province.
In Newfoundland and Labrador, Vale announced a presumptive case at the Voisey’s Bay mine site in northern Labrador, with the Department of Health working to complete additional testing.
In New Brunswick, a school in Woodstock announced a case of COVID-19. Townsview School, which has about 600 students in grades K-8, will remain open on Monday as health officials conduct contact tracing.
In Yukon, the territory on Friday reported its first death. Yukon’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Brendan Hanley said the individual was “older” and had “significant underlying medical conditions.”
What’s happening around the world
A database maintained by Johns Hopkins University put the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases reported around the world since the pandemic began at more than 46.1 million as of Sunday morning, with more than 30.8 million of those listed as recovered. The death toll reported by the U.S.-based university stood at nearly 1.2 million.
Iran hit another single-day record for coronavirus deaths on Sunday. The country’s Health Ministry said 434 people had died from the novel virus in 24 hours, bringing Iran’s death toll in the pandemic to more than 35,000. Iran has reported more than 620,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in all.
Tehran’s city council has proposed a two-week lockdown of the Iranian capital. For the past three weeks, Iran has banned weddings and funeral gatherings, and closed universities, schools, libraries, mosques, cinemas, museums and beauty salons in an attempt to curb the spread of the virus in Tehran.
Iranians walk next to a sign advising people to wear masks as they shop in Tajrish Square in the capital Tehran on Sunday. (Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images)
In Turkey, a politician from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party has died from the coronavirus.
Burhan Kuzu, 65, had been receiving treatment for COVID-19 since Oct. 17, the country’s health minister tweeted. He died Sunday.
Statistics from the country’s Health Ministry show at least 10,252 people have died from COVID-19 in Turkey.
In the U.K., a new national lockdown for England may have to last longer than the planned four weeks if coronavirus infection rates don’t fall quickly enough, a British cabinet minister said Sunday.
The lockdown is due to run from Thursday until Dec. 2. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it is needed to stop hospitals from becoming overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients within weeks.
Cabinet minister Michael Gove said that “with a virus this malignant, and with its capacity to move so quickly, it would be foolish to predict with absolute certainty what will happen in four weeks’ time.”
WATCH | England to enter 2nd lockdown as U.K. cases top 1 million:
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced a new month-long lockdown for England. He says current COVID-19 infection rates threaten to overwhelm hospitals in weeks without intervention. 2:34
Under the new restrictions, bars and restaurants can only offer takeout, non-essential shops must close and people will only be able to leave home for a short list of reasons, including exercise.
Britain is recording more than 20,000 new COVID-19 infections a day and has Europe’s highest coronavirus death toll at more than 46,000.
In Australia, audiences were returning to the theatres at the Sydney Opera House this weekend, eight months after the iconic entertainment venue was forced to close its doors to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Australia has recorded no new locally transmitted coronavirus infections for the first time in five months.
Staff are seen wearing face masks as they greet guests on arrival for the Don Burrows: A Celebration of Life Through Jazz show in the Joan Sutherland Theatre at the Sydney Opera House on Sunday. (Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)
In Melbourne, the capital of Victoria state, which had the highest number of cases in the country, residents were enjoying the first weekend of cafés, restaurants and pubs reopening to walk-in customers.
The city has only one mystery case without a known source. There are 61 active cases left across the state, down from 70 on Saturday.
India reported 46,964 new confirmed coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, keeping a month-long downward trend in infections.
India’s Health Ministry on Sunday also registered 470 more deaths, taking total fatalities up to 122,111. The latest surge takes the country’s total virus tally to close to 8.2 million and is only behind the United States.
India saw a steep rise in cases in July, but it is experiencing a slower pace of coronavirus spread since mid-September, when daily infections touched a record of 97,894. But health experts warn that mask and physical-distancing fatigue is setting in and can lead to a fresh wave of infections.
Some experts question the country’s testing methods and warn that a major festival due in a few weeks, as well as the winter season, could result in a new burst of infections.
GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Canada’s Marina Stakusic fell 6-4, 6-3 to Poland’s Magdalena Frech in the quarterfinals of the Guadalajara Open tennis tournament on Friday.
The 19-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., won 61 per cent of her first-serve points and broke on just one of her six opportunities.
Stakusic had upset top-seeded Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (0) on Thursday night to advance.
In the opening round, Stakusic defeated Slovakia’s Anna Karolína Schmiedlová 6-2, 6-4 on Tuesday.
The fifth-seeded Frech won 62 per cent of her first-serve points and converted on three of her nine break point opportunities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
TORONTO – Alejandro Kirk’s long single with the bases loaded provided the Toronto Blue Jays with a walk-off 4-3 win in the 11th inning of their series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday.
With the Cardinals outfield in, Kirk drove a shot off the base of the left-field wall to give the Blue Jays (70-78) their fourth win in 11 outings and halt the Cardinals’ (74-73) two-game win streak before 30,380 at Rogers Centre.
Kirk enjoyed a two-hit, two-RBI outing.
Erik Swanson (2-2) pitched a perfect 11th inning for the win, while Cardinals reliever Ryan Fernandez (1-5) took the loss.
Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman enjoyed a seven-inning, 104-pitch outing. He surrendered his two runs on nine hits and two walks and fanned only two Cardinals.
He gave way to reliever Genesis Cabrera, who gave up a one-out homer to Thomas Saggese, his first in 2024, that tied the game in the eighth.
The Cardinals started swiftly with four straight singles to open the game. But they exited the first inning with only two runs on an RBI single to centre from Nolan Arendao and a fielder’s choice from Saggese.
Gausman required 28 pitches to escape the first inning but settled down to allow his teammates to snatch the lead in the fourth.
He also deftly pitched out of threats from the visitors in the fifth, sixth and seventh thanks to some solid defence, including Will Wagner’s diving stop, which led to a double play to end the fifth inning.
George Springer led off with a walk and stole second base. He advanced to third on Nathan Lukes’s single and scored when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. knocked in his 95th run with a double off the left-field wall.
Lukes scored on a sacrifice fly to left field from Spencer Horwitz. Guerrero touched home on Kirk’s two-out single to right.
In the ninth, Guerrero made a critical diving catch on an Arenado grounder to throw out the Cardinals’ infielder, with reliever Tommy Nance covering first. The defensive gem ended the inning with a runner on second base.
St. Louis starter Erick Fedde faced the minimum night batters in the first three innings thanks to a pair of double plays. He lasted five innings, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk with three strikeouts.
ON DECK
Toronto ace Jose Berrios (15-9) will start the second of the three-game series on Saturday. He has a six-game win streak.
The Cardinals will counter with righty Kyle Gibson (8-6).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
CALGARY – Mired in their first four-game losing skid in 20 years, the Calgary Stampeders are going back to Jake Maier at quarterback on Saturday after he was benched for a game.
It won’t be an easy assignment.
Visiting McMahon Stadium are the Eastern Conference-leading Montreal Alouettes (10-2) who own the CFL’s best record. The Stampeders (4-8) have fallen to last in the Western Conference.
“Six games is plenty of time, but also it is just six games,” said Maier. “We’ve got to be able to get on the right track.”
Calgary is in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2004.
“I do still believe in this team,” said Stampeders’ head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson. “I want to see improvement, though. I want to see guys on a weekly basis elevating their game, and we haven’t been doing that.”
Maier is one of the guys under the microscope. Two weeks ago, the second-year starter threw four interceptions in a 35-20 home loss to the Edmonton Elks.
After his replacement, rookie Logan Bonner, threw five picks in last week’s 37-16 loss to the Elks in Edmonton, the football is back in Maier’s hands.
“Any time you fail or something doesn’t go your way in life, does it stink in the moment? Yeah. But then the days go on and you learn things about yourself and you learn how to prepare a little bit better,” said Maier. “It makes you mentally tougher.”
Dickenson wants to see his quarterback making better decisions with the football.
“Things are going to happen, interceptions will happen, but try to take calculated risks, rather than just putting the ball up there and hoping that we catch it,” said Dickenson.
A former quarterback himself, he knows the importance of that vital position.
“You cannot win without good quarterback play,” Dickenson said. “You’ve got to be able to make some plays — off-schedule plays, move-around plays, plays that break down, plays that aren’t designed perfectly, but somehow you found the right guy, and then those big throws where you’re taking that hit.”
But it’s going to take a team effort, and that includes the club’s receiving corp.
“We always have to band together because we need everything to go right for our receivers to get the ball,” said Nik Lewis, the Stampeders’ receivers coach. “The running back has to pick up the blitz, the o-line has to block, the quarterback has to make the right reads, and then give us a catchable ball.”
Lewis brings a unique perspective to this season’s frustrations as he was a 22-year-old rookie in Calgary in 2004 when the Stamps went 4-14 under coach Matt Dunigan. They turned it around the next season and haven’t missed the playoffs since.”
“Thinking back and just looking at it, there’s just got to be an ultimate belief that you can get it done. Look at Montreal, they were 6-7 last year and they’ve gone 18-2 since then,” said Lewis.
Montreal is also looking to rebound from a 37-23 loss to the B.C. Lions last week. But for head coach Jason Maas, he says his team’s mindset doesn’t change, regardless of what happened the previous week.
“Last year when we went through a four-game losing streak, you couldn’t tell if we were on a four-game winning streak or a four-game losing streak by the way the guys were in the building, the way we prepared, the type of work ethic we have,” said Maas. “All our standards are set, so that’s all we focus on.”
While they may have already clinched a playoff spot, Alouettes’ quarterback Cody Fajardo says this closing stretch remains critical because they want to finish the season strong, just like last year when they won their final five regular-season games before ultimately winning the Grey Cup.
“It doesn’t matter about what you do at the beginning of the year,” said Fajardo. “All that matters is how you end the year and how well you’re playing going into the playoffs so that’s what these games are about.”
The Alouettes’ are kicking off a three-game road stretch, one Fajardo looks forward to.
“You understand what kind of team you have when you play on the road because it’s us versus the world mentality and you can feel everybody against you,” said Fajardo. “Plus, I always tend to find more joy in silencing thousands of people than bringing thousands of people to their feet.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
