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Canadians told to expect more measures to prevent coronavirus spread

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OTTAWA, Ont. — With a growing number of cases of COVID-19 in Canada, public health officials are broadening their approach to containing the rapidly spreading virus.

The number of cases in Canada now sits at 27 —18 in Ontario, eight in British Columbia and one in Quebec — and a surge of new cases over the weekend and on Monday from individuals who have travelled to Iran, or had close contact with someone who did, has caused Canadian officials to change the Iran travel health notice to Level 3.

This means Canadians are being asked to avoid all non-essential travel to Iran.

China is also still at Level 3, as are northern Italy and the South Korean cities of Daegu and Cheongdo, while other countries that have seen pockets of spread at the community level, such as Italy, South Korea and Japan, remain at Level 2, which advises travellers to exercise a high degree of caution.

Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, said officials are asking travellers from Iran to identify themselves upon arrival in Canada, contact local public health officials within 24 hours, monitor for symptoms of coronavirus disease and self-isolate at home for 14 days.

“Our domestic response continues to focus on containment to prevent and delay the spread of the virus in our communities by detecting cases early, isolating and caring for patients, and rigorously tracing contacts,” Tam said.

“At the same time, we are preparing the health system and society to respond to the possibility of widespread illness and the need to reduce the impact on our populations.”

Tam said to date in Canada nearly 2,900 individuals have been tested for COVID-19, and until now testing has been focused on persons presenting with symptoms and a history of travel to an affected country, or close contact with someone who has.

Health officials will expand testing to detect cases of COVID-19 beyond those parameters in order to detect any spread at the community level.

Tam said the Canadian health-care system, individuals and communities need to be prepared for the potential future deployment of public-health measures meant to interrupt transmission of the virus at the community level, such as the suspension of large-scale gatherings, and the closure of schools and workplaces.

Canada’s pandemic influenza plan, which was tested and refined following the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, remains Canada’s basis for planning.

“As our outbreak planning and response is a shared responsibility, the Government of Canada is working in very close collaboration with provinces and territories,” Tam said.

In the meantime, Tam said, Canadians can continue to do their part to protect themselves and others by frequent handwashing, always covering their mouth and nose when sneezing and coughing, and staying home when sick.

“By taking these simple measures you can contribute to slowing the spread of respiratory viruses, protect the most vulnerable such as older populations and those with underlying medical conditions and reduce the impact on our health systems.”

On Monday, World Health Organization officials expressed concern about the rise of cases of community spread in other parts of the world as the instances of new cases in China continue to decline.

“In the last 24 hours, there were almost nine times more cases reported outside China than inside China,” WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a news conference.

Outside of China, South Korea has the highest number of known cases of COVID-19, at just over 3,700, representing more than half of all reported cases outside of China.

But Ghebreyesus pointed out the cases in South Korea appear to be coming from the five known clusters of the virus rather than the community.

“That’s important because it means surveillance measures are working and their epidemic can still be contained,” he said.

Iran, which has only 593 cases but 44 deaths, is of immediate concern to global health officials, as significant spread has been reported at the community level.

A WHO team arrived in Iran Monday to deliver supplies and support the government in its response.

Ghebreyesus said that if this were an influenza epidemic, officials would have expected to see widespread community transmission across the globe by now, and efforts to contain it or slow it down would not be feasible, but thankfully that is not the case for COVID-19.

“Containment of COVID-19 is feasible and must be the top priority for all countries. With early, aggressive measures, countries can stop transmission and save lives,” he said.

Even with significant concerns regarding spread outside China, causing the WHO to increase the global risk level to very high, the organization is still not calling it a pandemic.

“We’re monitoring the situation every moment of every day. WHO will not hesitate to describe this as a pandemic if that’s what the evidence suggests,” Ghebreyesus said.

As of Monday, there were approximately 87,100 cases of COVID-19 confirmed globally. Just under 80,000 of those were in China and 7,200 were reported elsewhere. There have been approximately 3,000 deaths attributed to COVID-19 worldwide.

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Montreal Hosts an International Decolonial Conference from September 27 to 29, 2024

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Tiohtià:ke/Mooniyang/Montréal, September 27, 2024 –  This weekend, Montreal will host the Bandung du Nord, a space aimed at collectively reflecting on a project of collective emancipation from a decolonial perspective. This event is inspired by the 1955 Bandung Conference, where 29 newly independent countries from Asia and Africa gathered, away from imperialist states, to discuss South-South solidarity and decolonization. This event, which placed the self-determination of colonized peoples at the heart of discussions, was foundational for the non-aligned movement. The Bandung du Nord revives this historical legacy by creating a dialogue space on contemporary forms of coloniality and exploitation, while emphasizing the voices of historically marginalized individuals.

Panels Featuring Internationally Renowned Experts

For three days, recognized global panelists will present their important theoretical and practical contributions to addressing modern issues from a decolonial and anti-imperialist perspective.

Text Highlighting 3 or 4 Panelists

To think about liberation in a settler colony, Katsi’tsakwas Ellen Gabriel, an Indigenous activist from the Kanehsatà community and chosen spokesperson during the Oka crisis in 1990, will join other speakers. Since then, she has been advocating for the human, collective, and individual rights of Indigenous peoples, raising awareness about their history, culture, and identity. Ramón Grosfoguel and Sherene Razack will also be present to discuss secularism, liberalism, and Islamophobia. Grosfoguel, a professor in the Department of Ethnic Studies at UC-Berkeley, is a renowned internationalist political scientist recognized for his work on the decolonization of knowledge and power, as well as his research on international migration and global political economy. Razack, a professor at UCLA, stands out for her research on racial violence and discrimination, particularly against Muslim and Indigenous women in Canada, as well as on systemic racism in the Canadian judicial system and colonial violence worldwide.

Anticipated Intimidation Attempts from Zionist and Far-Right Groups

For several weeks, the Centre for Jewish and Israeli Affairs (CIJA) and some right-wing groups have been attempting to discredit the event by associating criticism of Israeli policies with anti-Semitism. We expect intimidation tactics to persist and for groups to try to disrupt the conference. The organizing team of the Bandung du Nord has worked closely with UQAM administration to establish security protocols, and any overflow from groups attempting to censor academic freedom will not be tolerated. We reaffirm that critical analysis of any state cannot be confused with racial hatred. Academic freedom and freedom of expression must be preserved in the face of these attacks.

Quote

“Today, we still remain within a colonial logic. Our countries of origin remain colonized, and the accumulation of wealth continues to flow in one direction, from South to North. This results in a forced displacement of populations from the South to the North, creating a large minority in these countries, a new social and demographic reality that faces particular treatment. It is through this Bandung that we aim to become or create an autonomous political force at the heart of the Empire through a project of a Decolonial International, transcending national borders and forging alliances between decolonial movements in the West.

And as Frantz Fanon said so well: ‘Every generation must, in a relative opacity, confront its mission: to fulfill it or betray it.’ Today, here at the Bandung du Nord, we have the opportunity to seize our mission and fulfill it, by following in the footsteps of our ancestors and engaging on different fronts to abolish all forms of racism, social domination, and economic exploitation, always crystallized by white domination.

Today, here, we, the subalterns of the North, the Souths of the North, speak!” – Safa Chebbi

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Nebraska to become last Big Ten school to sell alcohol at football games in 2025 if regents give OK

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LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska would sell alcohol at Memorial Stadium in 2025 if the university’s Board of Regents gives its approval at its next meeting.

The proposal is listed on the agenda for the October meeting in Kearney next Friday and was first reported by The Omaha World-Herald.

Nebraska would become the last of the 18 Big Ten schools to sell alcohol at football games. Northwestern, Wisconsin, Michigan and Michigan State began alcohol sales at their stadiums this year.

The Nebraska proposal would allow sales at all athletic events across the three campuses that have athletic programs. A portion of the profits would be designated for alcohol abuse education and/or services.

An Associated Press survey of power-conference schools and Notre Dame found that, as of last November, 55 of 69 sold alcohol in the public areas of their stadiums on game days. That number would now be at least 57 with Northwestern and Wisconsin’s announcements this summer that they would sell in general seating areas this year.

Nebraska athletic director Troy Dannen did not immediately return a message for comment.

Former athletic director Trev Alberts had said in 2022 that that now-101-year-old Memorial Stadium did not have the proper infrastructure to accommodate sales. Alberts had said alcohol probably would not be available until a stadium renovation took place.

Plans for a major renovation have been pushed back, but Dannen told the World-Herald that upgrades required for alcohol sales would be made after this football season.

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The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Energy stocks help lift S&P/TSX composite, U.S. stock markets mixed

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TORONTO – Strength in energy stocks helped Canada’s main stock index climb higher in late-morning trading, while U.S. stock markets were mixed.

The S&P/TSX composite index was up 16.72 points at 24,050.55.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 424.66 points at 42,599.77. The S&P 500 index was up 7.89 points at 5,753.26, while the Nasdaq composite was down 43.50 points at 18,146.79.

The Canadian dollar traded for 74.12 cents US compared with 74.22 cents US on Thursday.

The November crude oil contract was up 21 cents at US$67.88 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was up 14 cents at US$2.89 per mmBTU.

The December gold contract was down US$26.80 at US$2,668.10 an ounce and the December copper contract was down a penny at US$4.63 a pound.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 27, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD)

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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