The latest news on the COVID-19 global pandemic (all times Eastern):
12:30 p.m.
Industry Minister Navdeep Bains is asking Canadian business to step up and tell the government what they can do to help fight COVID-19.
He says some businesses, like distilleries, have already made quick changes to start producing high-alcohol hand sanitizers.
More money is being sent to researchers, and to small companies that might have innovative products that could help with the pandemic but aren’t ready right now, such as diagnostic tools.
Bains says the full weight of the federal government is behind the plan.
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12:29 p.m.
The Saskatchewan government is converting child-care spaces in schools into daycares for children of health-care workers responding to COVID-19.
It says priority will be given to school-age children of staff in hospitals, long-term care facilities, labs and those working at COVID-19 testing and assessment sites.
The sites are to be open Monday.
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12:25 p.m.
Federal ministers are trying to reassure Canadian children that the government is doing all it can to keep them safe.
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland says that as a mother, she knows these are tense times for young people.
She says an extended break from school might not be turning out to be as much fun as kids expected.
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12:15 p.m.
Public Safety Minister Bill Blair says Canadians and Americans have drastically reduced their non-essential border crossings even before a closure of the Canada-U.S. frontier takes effect.
That formal closure takes effect at 11:59 Eastern Time tonight.
Blair adds that anyone crossing the Canadian border away from an official crossing point, including people crossing to claim asylum, will be redirected to the United States, with “necessary and limited exceptions.”
The restriction will only be in place for 30 days, but it’s subject to renewal if it’s still needed in a month.
Blair says people who have recently entered Canada to make refugee claims will be allowed to do so but will be kept in isolation for 14 days.
12:10 p.m.
Manitoba has declared a state of emergency due to COVID-19.
Premier Brian Pallister says it was not an easy decision but it was necessary to protect the health and safety of all Manitobans.
The measures will limit pubic gatherings of more than 50 people, including at places of worship, restaurants and bars.
Pallister says Manitobans have been practising social distancing.
As of Thursday, there were 17 cases of the virus in the province.
11:50 a.m.
Walmart Canada says it will hire 10,000 more employees to work in its stores and distribution centres as it deals with issues related to COVID-19.
The company announced the jobs in a letter sent to customers by Walmart Canada CEO Horacio Barbeito, but did not provide details on where the jobs would be or whether they would be temporary.
The letter says Walmart is also accelerating its annual bonus payments given to its store associates and is doling out live online physician care to its more than 90,000 employees.
Walmart also says it’s experiencing high demand for pickup and delivery and has decided to now allow home grocery deliveries to be left at a customer’s door to minimize contact.
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11:20 a.m.
The government is working with manufacturers to retool and produce equipment needed to treat people for COVID-19.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says industry has volunteered its workers and factories and arrangements are well underway.
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11:15 a.m.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says a new agreement with the United States will see irregular migrants turned away at the border.
As recently as yesterday, the government said the solution to screening refugee claimants was to assess their health when they were intercepted and then hold them in isolation for the standard 14 days.
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11:03 a.m.
Ontario is reporting 50 new COVID-19 cases today, bringing the total in the province to 308.
That is the largest single-day increase in new cases.
The total includes five resolved cases and two deaths.
No information is listed for about half of the new cases, but two people are listed as being hospitalized and four are in a long-term care home in the Durham Region.
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10:50 a.m.
Provincial cannabis distributors across the country are making changes to protect consumers and employees and to help deal with a spike in demand during COVID-19 pandemic.
The Ontario Cannabis Store says it has suspended same-day and next-day deliveries because of a “higher-than-normal” volume of orders.
The OCS, the Quebec pot distributor Societe quebecoise du cannabis and B.C. Cannabis Stores also warn that Canada Post is no longer delivering parcels that require a signature or proof-of-age to customer doors.
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10:45 a.m.
Urgency related to the COVID-19 pandemic prompted politicians in Yukon to work into the night to pass the territory’s latest budget.
After voting unanimously to bring the Liberal government’s 1.6-billion dollar budget forward for early consideration, it was debated and passed shortly before 11 p.m.
The legislature, which resumed March 5, has now been adjourned until October 1.
Premier Sandy Silver says passage of the budget means Yukon can focus all resources on fighting COVID-19 and provide spending assurances for the medical community, health, social services and the economy.
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10:20 a.m.
Canada’s biggest banks and life insurance companies are moving to hold their annual meetings using electronic means.
They say they will conduct the meetings through webcasting or teleconferences instead of in-person gatherings.
The Canadian banks and insurance companies say they have obtained a court order that will allow them to make the change in lieu of in-person annual meetings.
The move novel coronavirus has caused several of these companies to close brick-and-mortar locations and ask their employees to work from home.
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9:00 a.m.
A Canadian has died in Japan from complications related to COVID-19.
Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne confirmed the news on Twitter and shared his condolences with the family of the as yet unnamed Canadian.
The federal government is providing consular assistance to the deceased’s family.
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7:30 a.m.
Sobeys grocery stores are taking further steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among customers and staff.
The company began installing Plexiglas shields for cashiers in select stores last night and plan to have them in every store as quickly as possible.
Sobeys is also mandating that employees wash their hands every 15 minutes and will reduce store hours to allow more time for sanitizing.
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7:10 a.m.
Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois-Philippe Champagne has tested negative for COVID-19.
He made the announcement this morning on Twitter.
Champagne had flu-like symptoms after travelling abroad and took the test yesterday as a precautionary measure.
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6:45 a.m.
Toronto Mayor John Tory announced a 60-day grace period for all city payments from residents and businesses.
The policy includes property tax, water and solid waste utility payments.
Tory said the move is meant to alleviate stress on people and business owners during the economic difficulties of the COVID-19 outbreak.
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12:45 a.m.
A union official says Air Canada is laying off more than 5,000 flight attendants as the country’s largest airline cuts routes and parks planes due to COVID-19.
Wesley Lesosky, who heads the Air Canada component of CUPE’s airline division, says the carrier is laying off about 3,600 mainline employees as well as all of Air Canada Rouge’s 1,549 flight attendants.
The layoffs, which Lesosky says will take effect by April, affect roughly 60 per cent of flight attendants at the two segments.
Air Canada says the layoffs are temporary and employees will be returned to active duty status when the airline is able to ramp up its network schedule.
The Canadian Press
