Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in his daily COVID-19 address to the nation Saturday, reflected on his government’s recent actions to aid economically-afflicted Canadians during the virus crisis, pointing to such decisions as extending the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) beyond June.
Trudeau said over half a million small businesses, so far, have received a loan through the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA), employers having applied for wage subsidies for almost 2 million workers under the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS).
Trudeau said Canada is still in the emergency phase of COVID-19 even though some sectors of the Canadian economy are reopening, such as greenhouses/nurseries, hardware stores and some retail stores in Ontario, stating his government will continue, for now, to focus on financial support for Canadians financially affected by the virus, and will consider financial support to kickstart the economy later.
The prime minister said Canada is ramping up domestic capacity to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) for Canadian healthcare workers after the government rejected 8 million made-in-China N95 masks from a Montreal based supplier which didn’t meet Canadian safety standards.
In provincial news, Premier Doug Ford, accompanied by Health Minister Christine Elliott and Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks Jeff Yurek, announced, with the Victoria Day long weekend not far away, Ontario provincial parks and conservation areas will be open for day use (walking, hiking, bird watching and bicycling) effective Monday, May 11.
Ford said campgrounds, playgrounds and beaches remain closed for now.
Yurek said parks staff will be keeping an eye out to ensure visitors observe social distancing and avoid gathering in groups of more than five.
Yurek said over 500 Ontario parks and conservation areas will open Monday, the remaining 115 open Friday, May 15.
Yurek instructed Ontarians to visit only the nearest provincial park and to bring their own supplies, such as bottled water and hand sanitizer, as no washroom facilities will be open while parks staff prepare the parks for the summer season.
Public Health Ontario is reporting 346 new cases of COVID-19 today.
The provincial agency’s daily report also includes 59 new deaths and 393 recoveries.
Public Health Ontario has recorded 19,944 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the province since the pandemic began. Of those, 14,383 people have recovered (72.1 per cent) and 1,599 people have died (8 per cent). 70 per cent of the deaths in Ontario have been people aged 80 or over, and about 48 per cent of all the deaths reported by Public Health Ontario have been residents of long-term care homes.
Here are the latest COVID-19 numbers from Algoma Public Health:
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5,052 tested
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16 positive
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3,419 negative
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1,617 pending
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0 deceased
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13 resolved
Total confirmed cases by area of residence:
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12 in Sault Ste. Marie and area, with evidence of community spread
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1 in central and east Algoma
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3 in Elliot Lake and area ***
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0 in north Algoma
APH states “these numbers now include testing that was completed at long-term care homes (LTCH) in the Algoma district as part of the province’s one-time surveillance testing initiative. Staff and residents of all Algoma LTCHs have completed one-time surveillance testing.”
*** Three positive cases in Elliot Lake and area have been confirmed by Elliot Lake Family Health Team
Click here for a SooToday list of what's still open in the Sault.
