Manitoba will allow more people to gather outdoors but is largely sticking with existing red level restrictions, the province’s chief public health officer said Tuesday, citing a need to be cautious as the province sees a “slow increase” in case numbers and an increasing proportion of variant cases.
The Manitoba government is increasing the number of people allowed to gather outdoors to 25 from 10. It’s one of a small number of COVID-19 restrictions being eased starting Friday.
The limit on people allowed to attend weddings and funerals will also rise to 25 people from 10. For retail outlets, operators will be allowed to go to either 50 per cent capacity or a maximum of 500 people — whichever is lower.
Premier Brian Pallister said the changes were “cautious” and designed to protect the well-being of people in the province.
Manitoba on Tuesday reported one COVID-19 death and 98 new cases. However, five cases were removed due to data correction, for a net increase of 93.
Dr. Brent Roussin, echoing comments made by Canada’s chief public health officer and many of his provincial colleagues, expressed concern about increasing variant of concern cases.
“We know these variants spread much more readily, and so we need to continue to do what we can to limit that transmission,” Roussin said on Tuesday. “There continues to be reasons to be optimistic, but we need to be cautious in the meantime.”
Roussin said the province doesn’t have “nearly the amount” of vaccine coverage to change the province’s public health measures, but he said “we can be optimistic that more and more vaccine is on its way over time.”
WATCH | Manitoba’s race to get COVID-19 vaccines into First Nations:
A push is on in Manitoba’s First Nations and some adjacent communities to vaccinate 100,000 people against COVID-19 in 100 days. The inoculation campaign is racing against variants and the melting of ice roads into remote northern communities. 2:02
In neighbouring Saskatchewan, Regina is heading back to some of the toughest public health restrictions seen during the pandemic because of a concerning spread of COVID-19 variants.
“The rise of the variant cases means we have to continue to be extremely cautious,” Premier Scott Moe said Tuesday.
Moe said that for most of the province the number of COVID-19 cases is stable or declining. In Regina, however, “we are seeing case numbers continue to rise, and that is largely due to the high concentration of variant cases.”
-From CBC News and The Canadian Press, last updated at 7 a.m. ET
What’s happening across Canada
WATCH | Why your masks may not be as protective as you think:
With more contagious variants of COVID-19 on the rise, there’s more talk of improving people’s masks. The type of mask is important, but as The National’s Andrew Chang found out, so is its fit. 4:47
As of 10:20 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Canada had reported 943,896 cases of COVID-19, with 36,340 cases considered active. A CBC News tally of deaths stood at 22,745.
In Ontario, where the provincial government will unveil a budget later Wednesday, health officials reported 1,571 new cases of COVID-19 and 10 additional deaths. According to provincial figures updated Wednesday, COVID-19 hospitalizations stood at 893, with 333 people in intensive care units.
In Atlantic Canada, health officials reported a total of 10 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday — seven in New Brunswick, two in Prince Edward Island and one in Nova Scotia. There were no new cases reported in Newfoundland and Labrador.
In Quebec, health officials reported 656 new cases of COVID-19 and four additional deaths on Tuesday. Hospitalizations stood at 519, with 113 people in intensive care.
In Alberta, health officials reported 465 new cases of COVID-19 and three additional deaths on Tuesday. Hospitalizations in the province stood at 290, with 52 COVID-19 patients in intensive care.
British Columbia, meanwhile, reported 682 new cases of COVID-19 and one additional death. Hospitalizations stood at 314, the province reported, with 83 COVID-19 patients in intensive care.
Across the North, there were no new cases reported in Nunavut, the Northwest Territories and Yukon.
5,812 cases of the B117 variant first reported in the U.K.
247 cases of the B1351 variant first reported in South Africa.
152 cases of the P1 variant linked to Brazil.
(Read more from CBC’s Robson Fletcher about how provinces are working to track variant cases and the challenges of interprovincial comparisons.)
–From CBC News and The Canadian Press, last updated at 7:05 a.m. ET
What’s happening around the world
Elementary school students wearing masks and seated adhering to physical distancing attend class as schools reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic in Bekasi, on the outskirts of Jakarta, on Wednesday. (Willy Kurniawan/Reuters)
As of early Wednesday morning, more than 124.2 million cases of COVID-19 had been reported worldwide, according to a tracking tool maintained by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University. The global death toll stood at more than 2.7 million.
In Europe, the European Union is moving toward stricter export controls to ensure that there are more COVID-19 shot supplies for the bloc, which should boost its flagging vaccine drive at a time of another surge of the coronavirus pandemic on the continent.
The EU’s executive body said Wednesday on the eve of a summit of the 27 leaders that it has a plan ready to guarantee that more vaccines produced in the bloc are available for its own citizens before they can be shipped for exports.
EU nations have been specifically stung by the United Kingdom, which has received some 10 million doses from EU plants while they say nothing came back from Britain. The EU now insists on reciprocity as it sees vaccination rates in Britain racing upwards, while the bloc proceeds at a crawl.
Medical staff work in a unit where patients suffering from COVID-19 are treated at the private Polyclinique Saint Jean in Cagnes-Sur-Mer, France, on Tuesday. (Eric Gaillard/Reuters)
“We have secured more than enough doses for the entire population. But we have to ensure timely and sufficient vaccine deliveries to EU citizens,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. “Every day counts.”
Chancellor Angela Merkel, meanwhile, has dropped plans for a five-day shutdown in Germany over Easter, which had prompted confusion and criticism. She called the idea a mistake and apologized to Germans. Merkel announced the decision after calling a hastily arranged video conference with Germany’s 16 state governors, who are responsible for imposing and lifting restrictions.
The same group had come up with the unexpected plan for deeper restrictions over Easter, which was announced early Tuesday. The plan was to make Thursday, the day before Good Friday, a “rest day,” with all shops closed, and only allow supermarkets to open on Easter Saturday.
France’s culture minister has been hospitalized for COVID-19, the latest senior official to be infected as the nation faces a third surge of infections. Roselyne Bachelot announced last weekend that she had tested positive and her hospitalization was made public Wednesday. The latest surge has been likely propelled by the highly contagious virus variant first seen in Britain.
ICUs in the Paris region as well as in northern and southeastern France are filling up. French President Emmanuel Macron, who was infected months ago but never hospitalized, announced on Tuesday an acceleration of the country’s vaccination campaign. Now all people over 70 are eligible to get a shot.
Poland will likely have to toughen restrictions again after reporting what early figures suggest will be a record number of new infections.
Spain’s coronavirus infection rate edged up, highlighting concern that a long decline is in danger of reversing.
In the Americas, Brazil suffered a record 3,251 COVID-19 deaths, as pot-banging protests erupted across the country during an address by President Jair Bolsonaro in which he defended his pandemic response and pledged to ramp up vaccinations.
A health worker inoculates a woman at a COVID-19 vaccination point for priority elderly persons in the Ceilandia neighbourhood, on the outskirts of Brasilia, Brazil, on Monday. (Eraldo Peres/The Associated Press)
Colombia will impose new restrictions on movement and enact nightly curfews in municipalities with high occupancy levels in intensive care units as it tries to avoid a severe third wave of COVID-19.
In Africa, the first 165,000 of up to seven million COVID-19 vaccine doses that MTN Group is donating to African countries have arrived in Ghana.
In the Middle East Lebanon reported 42 additional deaths and more than 3,850 cases of COVID-19, health officials reported on Tuesday. The country, which is also in the midst of economic and political turmoil, is awaiting delivery of doses of both the AstraZeneca and Sputnik V vaccines, local media reported.
In the Asia-Pacific region, Pakistan’s top health official said Wednesday his country will purchase one million doses of China’s Sinopharm vaccine and 60,000 doses of the vaccine made by Chinese company CanSino Biologics.
Faisal Sultan, a special assistant to the prime minister, said on Twitter that an order has been placed for the purchase of Chinese-made vaccines, which will be delivered to Pakistan within days. The purchases will be in addition to 1.5 million doses of vaccine that China is donating to Pakistan in phases. Without giving more details, Sultan said Pakistan will also receive several million doses of vaccines in April.
Pakistan is currently facing a third wave of coronavirus infections.
Also on Wednesday, Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood said the government is ordering the closure of schools in the capital, Islamabad, and in several other high-risk cities until April 11.
Hong Kong authorities halted the use of a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech citing defective packaging, triggering scenes of confusion at inoculation centres across the city.
–From Reuters, CBC News and The Associated Press, last updated at 10:20 a.m ET
MONTREAL – One expert says entry-level pay under the tentative deal between Air Canada and its pilots could be a stumbling block ahead of a union vote on the agreement.
Under their current contract, pilots earn far less in their first four years at the company before enjoying a big wage increase starting in year five.
The Air Line Pilots Association had been pushing to scrap the so-called “fixed rate” provision entirely.
But according to a copy of the contract summary obtained by The Canadian Press, the proposed deal announced Sunday would merely cut the four-year period of lower pay to two years.
John Gradek, who teaches aviation management at McGill University, says as many as 2,000 of Air Canada’s roughly 5,200 active pilots may earn entry-level wages following a recent hiring surge.
After the airline averted a strike this week, Gradek says the failure to ditch the pay grade restrictions could prompt pushback from rank-and-file flight crew and jeopardize the deal, which is up for a vote next month.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024.
ROME (AP) — Salvatore “Totò” Schillaci, the Italy striker who was top scorer at its home World Cup in 1990, has died. He was 59.
Schillaci had been hospitalized in Palermo following treatment for colon cancer.
The Palermo Civico hospital said in a statement that Schillacci died on Wednesday morning after being admitted 11 days ago.
Schillaci scored six goals for Italy during the 1990 World Cup. He came on as a substitute during Italy’s opener against Austria, scored in a 1-0 victory, and went on to earn the Golden Boot awarded to the tournament’s top scorer. He only scored one other goal for Italy in his career.
Italian soccer federation president Gabriele Gravina announced that a minute of silence would be held in memory of Schillaci before all games in the country for the rest of the week.
“The uncontrollable celebrations, in which his face was the symbol of shared joy, will remain forever part of Italian soccer (history),” Gravina said. “Totò was a great player, a symbol of tenacious desire and redemption. … His soccer was full of passion. And that fearless spirit made everyone appreciate him and will make him immortal.”
Schillaci also won the Golden Ball award at the 1990 World Cup as the tournament’s top player ahead of Lothar Matthaus and Diego Maradona.
Schillaci played for Messina, Juventus, Inter Milan and Japanese team Jubilo Iwata during his club career.
“You made an entire nation dream during the Magical Nights of Italia ’90,” Inter said on its social media channels.
West Germany won the 1990 World Cup, beating Argentina in the final, while Italy beat England for third place with a winning penalty kick from Schillaci.
Roberto Baggio, who scored Italy’s opening goal in the third-place match, wrote on Instagram, “Ciao my dear friend.”
Having been born and raised in Palermo, the Palermo soccer team announced that it would hold a public viewing of Schillaci at its Renzo Barbera stadium ahead of the funeral, the Gazzetta dello Sport reported.
French soccer player Wissam Ben Yedder will stay free ahead of his trial on charges of sexual assault while intoxicated, one of his lawyers told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
Marie Roumiantseva said Ben Yedder will remain under strict judicial supervision after a woman filed a lawsuit for sexual assault earlier this month.
The 34-year-old Ben Yedder, a prolific striker in the French league, was briefly detained then released after the alleged incident in his car on the French Riviera. Ben Yedder had been stopped by police after he first refused to do so. He was then put in a jail cell.
After he was summoned to appear in court on Oct. 15 and placed under judicial supervision, the Nice prosecutor’s office appealed the decision not to remand the player in custody. The investigative chamber of the Court of Appeal of Aix-en-Provence did not grant this request and kept Ben Yedder under judicial supervision.
Ben Yedder attended a hearing Tuesday during which he offered to go to rehab. He has admitted he drove while under the influence of alcohol but has denied any sexual assault.
In a separate legal case last year, Ben Yedder was charged with “rape, attempted rape and sexual assault” over another alleged incident in the south of France.
Ben Yedder has been without a club since his contract with Monaco expired at the end of last season.
