Ontario health units report 23,402 cases of COVID-19, up 394 or 1.7 per cent, and 1,926 have died, up 24; Province extends wage subsidy program; Ottaw…

The latest novel coronavirus news from Canada and around the world Friday (this file will be updated throughout the day). Web links to longer stories if available.
6:52 p.m. Air Canada plans to lay off at least 20,000 employees as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the airline industry, The Canadian Press reports.
Effective June 7, the layoffs will impact more than half of the company’s 38,000 employees, the airline said.
The move comes amid border shutdowns and confinement measures that have tanked travel demand, prompting Air Canada to ground some 225 airplanes and slash flight capacity by 95 per cent.
At a minimum, layoffs will reach 19,000 — half of the current payroll — and could go as high as 22,800.
The blow echoes Air Canada’s announcement in March to let go of nearly half of its workforce under a cost-reduction scheme.
The carrier proceeded to rehire some 16,500 laid-off flight attendants, mechanics and customer service agents in April under the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, but has not committed to maintain the program past June 6.
5 p.m. Ontario health units report 23,402 cases of COVID-19, up 394 or 1.7 per cent, according to the Star. The number of people who have died is 1,926, up 24.
3:45 p.m.There are 160 new cases of COVID-19 in Toronto, said Dr. Eileen de Villa, medical officer of health for the City of Toronto.
De Villa spoke about the availability of testing for Torontonians. She said that it was first thought that COVID-19 presented in symptoms of fever, coughing and difficulty breathing. It is now known, she said, that it can reveal itself in headaches, sore throat, runny nose, nausea, diarrhea and abdominal pain.
“Residents can get tested if they are experiencing one or more of these symptoms at a local assessment centre,” de Villa said.
Mayor John Tory announced festivals, parades and major events in Toronto this summer are cancelled.
This includes the Taste of the Danforth, the Beaches Jazz Festival and the Honda Indy, among others.
Summer camps, which many parents rely on for child care, and recreational programs are also cancelled. Refunds are forthcoming.
“I know this decision will upset many families and it will cause hardship for those who rely on theses camps and programs the most, but nothing is more important than the health of our children,” Tory said.
The City is preparing a modest plan B, to be unveiled in mid July, for these if circumstances improve and the Province approves of it.
Asked what modified summer camp would look like, Tory said it would need modified staffing and spacing for about half the number of kids who normally do City camps.
The new CampTO plan will require the province to lift provincial orders on day camps to go ahead. If allowed, there would only be capacity for about half the children usually enrolled: spaces for 5,300 kids aged six to 12 per week.
On talks between Ontario and federal governments to help cities financially, Tory said “huge progress” had been made as mayors had got Premier Ford to talk to the Federal government. Tory said he is hopeful both governments will soon announce some form of aid for cities.
Fire chief Matthew Pegg addressed the issue of homeless encampments. Pegg said the City has experienced 55 fires in these camps, 15 of them in the last two weeks. On May 1, a resident died in one in a homeless encampment. The camps have propane tanks and gasoline cans in them.
Protesters encouraging people to stay or enter homeless encampments are putting people in harm’s way and interfering with the ability of City staff to fight the spread of COVID-19 among the homeless, Pegg said.
The City has removed hazards from growing number of encampments, teams visit sites to try to give people in them housing options, said Pegg, who added that 97 people have been moved into safe spaces since the start of the pandemic response.
Tory said the aim is always to offer housing options to people. He defended the process of giving notice, providing options and then clearing out the camps, saying it is the responsible thing to do.
3:26 p.m. To slow the spread of COVID-19, the City of Toronto is extending the cancellation of City-led and City-permitted major festivals and events with attendance of more than 250 people through July 31, and those with attendance of 25,000 or more through August 31. The resumption or cancellation of professional sporting events is not included in the decision.
The City’s announcement includes festivals, conferences and cultural programs held in facilities managed by City divisions or public locations, such as roads, parks and civic squares, the City said in a press release. Issued permits are now cancelled and permits that have been applied for will not be issued.
This decision follows the cancellation of all such events up to June 30, announced by the City on March 30, and the cancellation of Canada Day events, the City release said.
The cancellation of major mass participation events of more than 250 people until July 31 includes Salsa on St Clair, Toronto Outdoor Art Fair, Honda Indy, Toronto Triathlon Festival, Beaches International Jazz Festival, and Big on Bloor, among others.
The cancellation of major mass participation events of more than 25,000 people until August 31 includes Jerkfest, Taste of the Danforth, Taste of Manila, and Toronto Chinatown Festival, among others.
3:20 p.m. Correctional Service Canada reports 356 inmates have tested positive for COVID-19, an increase of 13, The Canadian Press reports.
All the new cases have been in the hard hit Federal Training Centre in Laval, Que., which now has 161 cases.
To date, two prisoners have died, CP reports.
Almost all infected inmates are incarcerated at the training centre, the Mission Medium Institution in B.C., which has seen 120 cases of coronavirus disease, or Joliette Institution in Quebec.
In addition, at least 88 guards have been infected.
2:30 p.m.: The City of Toronto now says tee times at five city-run golf courses are almost fully booked for this weekend.
“The long weekend is nearly sold out, but there are still a few slots available on Tuesday and Wednesday,“ the city said in a news release.
Tee times can be booked through the city website or by calling the course. Details and COVID-19-related restrictions are here.
2:19 p.m.: Canada and the United States are both “very comfortable” with their mutual ban on non-essential cross-border travel, but Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland won’t say if the Americans want to extend the restrictions beyond June 21.
Recent media reports suggest the U.S., fearing the importing of COVID-19 cases, wants an indefinite timeline for existing restrictions at both its southern and northern borders. It’s not clear if that pertains to the ban on non-essential travel or is specifically aimed at curtailing immigration.
Freeland refused Friday to discuss the details of Canada’s ongoing talks with the U.S. beyond describing them as “very, very cordial” and “very constructive.”
2 p.m.: The Canadian Forces say five members working in long-term care homes during the COVID-19 pandemic have tested positive for the illness.
Four of them are in Quebec and one is in Ontario.
The military says nearly 1,700 members of the Forces are working in nursing homes where regular staff have been overwhelmed by COVID-19, in some cases becoming sick themselves.
Quebec in particular has seen severe COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care facilities, including one in the Montreal area where residents had been nearly abandoned by the staff.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government is considering paying those military members extra, as it would on hazardous deployments abroad.
The Canadian Forces are promising reports on the illness in those deployed to nursing homes every two weeks.
1:50 p.m.: New Brunswick is reporting no new cases of COVID-19 today.
There have been 120 cases in the province, and 119 of those patients have recovered.
Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Jennifer Russell, says people need to continue to follow health guidelines during the holiday long weekend.
1:40 p.m.: Parents in British Columbia will be given the choice of allowing their children to return to class on a part-time basis in June.
The government says its goal is for the return of full-time classes in September, if it is safe.
Under the part-time plan, the number of students allowed in schools will be reduced.
For kindergarten to Grade 5, most students will go to school half time, such as alternating days, while grades 6 to 12 will go to school about one day a week.
The province says there are already about 5,000 students in classrooms, including children of essential workers and those needing extra support.
1:35 p.m.: Quebec is reporting an additional 50 deaths today linked to COVID-19, bringing the provincial total to 3,401.
Provincial health authorities also reported 41,420 confirmed cases, an increase of 696 in the past 24 hours.
Premier François Legault noted it has been some time since those numbers have been that low as he wrapped up a two-day visit to Montreal, the epicentre of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the province.
Legault says the province will give Montreal one million masks to distribute and provide $6 million to transit agencies in the Montreal area to make masks more widely available.
1:10 p.m.: Prince Edward Island is accelerating its Renew PEI Together plan by planning to reinstate some services sooner.
Phase two of the plan will still begin May 22 as scheduled, but the third phase will now begin June 1 instead of June 12.
Premier Dennis King says the decision was based on several factors, including the lack of new cases of COVID-19 on the Island in the last 17 days.
Phase three would allow gatherings of up to 15 people indoors and 20 people outdoors, organized recreational activities and the opening of child care centres and in-room dining.
1 p.m.: Ontario Premier Doug Ford is addressing reporters at his daily briefing. A livestream of his news conference is available at thestar.com
12:58 p.m. (updated): Torontonians can now read a book or spread a picnic blanket in a city park without fear of being ordered to move along.
Park restrictions used to tell people not to linger, to minimize spread of COVID-19.
“Parks green space is available for public use for those wishing to rest or read a book,” the rules now state. “You are allowed to bring a picnic to the park or sit on a blanket and enjoy the park setting as long as everyone present is a member of a single household, and that they remain more than two metres away from others not from their household who may also be in the park.”
Park picnic tables, however, remain off limits as part of a broad ban on use of park amenities introduced in March.
The city’s five golf courses open Saturday but people will not able to just show up and golf.
“Tees times can and must be booked in advance through the city’s website or by calling the golf course,” guidelines state.
“People who drop-in or walk-in will not be permitted access to the course,” and those who do golf must practice physical distancing.
Off-leash dog enclosures in city parks remain closed but should reopen soon. Mayor John Tory has said city staff are checking new provincial regulations to ensure dog park use is no longer prohibited.
12:45 p.m.: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says provinces looking to reopen their economies will need to significantly boost and co-ordinate testing and contact tracing to contain future outbreaks of COVID-19.
Trudeau says testing and tracing that transcends provincial boundaries will be essential as restrictions begin to be eased and people travel more.
He says a national approach will require the provinces to work with Ottawa on a collective effort.
12:45 p.m.: Prince Edward Island is reporting no new cases of COVID-19 Friday. There have been 27 cases on the Island and all have recovered.
There have been no new cases in 17 days. Almost 4,600 tests have been conducted.
12:45 p.m.: Newfoundland and Labrador reported no new COVID-19 cases for the eighth consecutive day today.
The province also adjusted its total count of confirmed COVID-19 cases to 260, down from 261.
Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says one case that was previously reported as positive is now being recorded as inconclusive.
Three people are in the hospital due to the virus and 248 people have recovered.
12:24 p.m.: A standoff between Toronto’s homeless and city officials is underway at several encampments downtown. Police officers, city workers and heavy machinery are downtown as they take down the tents.
The city says it is clearing tents that were abandoned after moving several people into housing last week. But Jason Phillips says an eviction notice went up a few days ago on the tent where he lives underneath the Gardiner Expressway.
He says the city offered him a spot in a shelter, which he refused because he feels safer outside during the COVID-19 pandemic.
After a woman stood in front of a bulldozer that was set to take his tent down, Phillips says the city offered him a hotel room — which he accepted.
12:14 p.m.: Ontario’s regional health units are reporting another 358 COVID-19 cases and 30 new deaths since Thursday morning, according to the Star’s latest count.
As of 11 a.m. Friday, the health units have reported a total of 23,057 confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19, including 1,905 deaths. The 358 cases reported in the last 24 hours — a low 1.6 per cent jump — was in line with a flat trend in recent days; the province has seen an average of 355 new cases reported per day over the last seven days.
Still, as a whole, the daily growth in new COVID-19 infections across Ontario has fallen steadily since peaking at more than 700 cases a day in late April.
Meanwhile, the total of 30 deaths reported in the province since Thursday morning was once again below the recent average, a sign the rate of new fatal cases may be beginning to slow about two weeks after the peak in the province’s daily case totals.
Earlier Friday, the province reported that testing labs had completed 18,354 tests the previous day, continuing several consecutive days of increases. In the Star’s count, days with larger numbers of reported cases have tended to follow increases in testing, and vice versa.
Because many health units publish tallies to their websites before reporting to Public Health Ontario, the Star’s count is more current than the data the province puts out each morning.
The province also said 986 patients are now hospitalized with COVID-19, including 179 in intensive care, of whom 135 are on a ventilator — numbers that were down slightly. The province also says more than 16,500 patients who have tested positive for the coronavirus have now recovered from the disease — nearly three-quarters of the total infected.
The province says its data is accurate to 4 p.m. the previous day. The province also cautions its latest count of total deaths — 1,825 — may be incomplete or out of date due to delays in the reporting system, saying that in the event of a discrepancy, “data reported by (the health units) should be considered the most up to date.”
The Star’s count includes some patients reported as “probable” COVID-19 cases, meaning they have symptoms and contacts or travel history that indicate they very likely have the disease, but have not yet received a positive lab test.
12 p.m.: Nova Scotia is reporting four more deaths related to COVID-19, bringing the province’s total to 55. All of the latest deaths occurred at the Northwood long-term-care home in Halifax.
There have now been 1,034 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the province after eight additional cases were reported today.
Health officials say the Northwood home has 25 residents and 15 staff with active cases, while another care home has one infected staff member and a third facility has one infected resident.
11:50 a.m.: British Columbia’s minister responsible for multiculturalism says she can no longer remain silent about the rising number of hate crimes toward people of Asian heritage during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a statement, Anne Kang says she is deeply saddened by the recent rise in physical and verbal attacks as well as an increase in vandalism.
Kang says she is “compelled as a government representative, immigrant and British Columbian to speak out against these vicious acts.”
The Vancouver Police Department has reported that the number of anti-Asian, hate-related crimes spiked in April, with 11 occurring last month, compared with 12 for all of 2019.
Kang, who moved to Canada from Taiwan, says the pandemic is affecting everyone and “acts of violence and aggression will not be tolerated.”
11:40 a.m.: Three more residents have died at Scarborough’s Altamont Care Community as the death toll rose to 49, according to the latest numbers from the province.
The 159-bed facility is currently dealing with 62 confirmed staff cases as well as 66 confirmed resident cases.
11:24 a.m.: Ontario’s fiscal watchdog says about one in three workers in the province has been affected by the economic shutdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Financial Accountability Office released the finding in a new report today on job losses in Ontario since the crisis began.
The FAO says an estimated 1.1 million workers in the province have lost their jobs, and another 1.1 million have seen their hours sharply reduced.
According to Statistics Canada, Ontario lost 689,200 jobs in April, bringing its employment down to the lowest level since 2009.
Ontario’s unemployment rate climbed to 11.3 per cent in April, the highest it has been since 1993.
The FAO says nearly 87 per cent of the job losses between February and April came in the private sector.
11:20 a.m. (updated): Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says a federal wage subsidy for employees in businesses hit hard by COVID-19 will last at least until the end of August.
The subsidy was set to expire in the first week of June.
Trudeau says the idea is to give employers more runway, and confidence to resume operations slowly if they have to.
Finance Minister Bill Morneau is to reveal details of a broadening of the program shortly.
Trudeau also says the government will make adjustments to the program, including changes to the threshold for how much qualifying companies’ revenues must have declined, to ensure employers can access the help as business kicks back up.
The subsidy covers 75 per cent of wages for employers that have seen sharp declines in revenue since the novel coronavirus pandemic hit Canada hard in March, up to $847 per worker, per week.
11:15 a.m.: Trudeau announces $450 million in wage support to universities and health research institutes so they can retain the researchers and labs weather the shutdown.
Up to 15,000 researchers at hospital-based research institutes were facing layoffs because, due to a technicality, don’t qualify for the wage subsidy.
Research unrelated to the deadly coronavirus that causes COVID-19 was halted in mid-March, including clinical trials and research into cancer, stroke and other diseases. Hospital-based institutes have warned that much of the funding they rely on to pay for that research — including charitable donations, contributions from foundations and clinical trial contracts with pharmaceutical companies — has evaporated.
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Trudeau promised earlier this week to personally look into the matter after a question from the Star’s Tonda MacCharles.
11:05 a.m.: According to the most recent provincial numbers Friday, Chartwell Ballycliffe Long Term Care Residence in Ajax has 30 resident deaths related to COVID-19, two more than the day before.
Fewer than five staff now have confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to the government’s numbers, while there are six active cases among residents.
The a 100-bed facility is located south-west of Highway 401 and Harwood Avenue South.
11 a.m.: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to address reporters at his daily briefing. A livestream of his news conference will be available at thestar.com
10:30 a.m.: A day after the province reported it had seen the lowest total of new COVID-19 cases in a day since late March, it now says the low number was the result of reporting glitch.
“We’ve learned of a small glitch with yesterday’s #COVID19 reporting,” Health Minister Christine Elliott said in a tweet Friday. “Because of a one-time data upload issue, yesterday missed 87 cases.”
After the province announcedjust 258 new cases Thursday, the fewest by its count since March 29, the Star notified the ministry of an apparent discrepancy in its data. In a detailed breakdown, the province reported an increase of just 45 new cases in Toronto. Meanwhile, on Thursday afternoon the city reported a jump of 153 confirmed and probable cases over the same reporting period.
The province did not clarify whether the missing cases were from Toronto.
The missing cases from Thursday’s report were included in the count of 428 new cases the province reported Friday but, Elliot said, both day’s counts should be adjusted.
“While they’re captured in today’s update, the real day-over-day numbers are 345 new cases on May 14 and 341 today,” she said.
In a statement, spokesperson Hayley Chazan added that the numbers still “continue to trend downward as we expand our COVID-19 testing guidelines to ensure we keep a close eye on any shifts in community spread and identify and contain new cases.”
The Star maintains a separate count of COVID-19 cases and deaths based on the tallies posted to the websites of Ontario’s 34 public health units.
On Thursday, the Star counted a single-day increase of 360 confirmed and probable cases, which was in line with relatively a flat trend in recent days amid a longer-term slowdown.
Because many health units publish tallies to their websites before reporting to Public Health Ontario, the Star’s count is more current than the data the province puts out each morning.
The Star’s count includes some patients reported as “probable” COVID-19 cases, meaning they have symptoms and contacts or travel history that indicate they very likely have the disease, but have not yet received a positive lab test.
10:20 a.m.: Schools in Newfoundland and Labrador will be closed for the rest of the school year, the province’s education minister confirmed today.
Brian Warr says in-school instruction has been cancelled for the year and a plan for September will cover various scenarios depending on the situation with the COVID-19 pandemic at the time.
Warr says parents and students in the province’s English and French school districts are encouraged to continue their studies with teachers through Google Classroom and other online tools.
The department says 2,500 students in the English School District have received devices like laptops and tablets out of 4,000 identified as in need, and more devices are being sourced.
10:15 a.m.: Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer is again calling for a return of Parliament.
The House of Commons stands adjourned until May 25, though has returned several times in a modified form to pass emergency aid legislation.
Committees are also still meeting virtually, and a special one dealing solely with response to the COVID-19 pandemic meets twice a week virtually and once in person.
But Scheer says as restrictions begin to lift across the country and a slow economic recovery begins, it is even more important to be able to keep the Liberal government accountable for the billions in aid they’ve spent.
9:50 a.m.: Russian doctors say they are treating a woman who may have contracted coronavirus for the second time after recovering from it.
The woman was discharged from a hospital in the Siberian city of Ulan-Ude after receiving treatment for coronavirus and testing negative for it in early April. But two weeks later she started having respiratory symptoms again and tested positive for the virus for the second time.
She was readmitted to the hospital and is currently being treated, says its chief doctor Tatyana Symbelova.
“The question is whether it’s a reinfection, because 15-16 days passed between discharged and respiratory symptoms appearing, or the disease she had earlier coming back. It is not entirely clear for us at this point,” Symbelova says.
According to the World Health Organization, no studies have shown people who have recovered from the coronavirus are immune to becoming infected again.
Russia reported over 262,000 coronavirus cases on Friday and 2,418 deaths.
9:20 a.m.: Premier Doug Ford is strongly hinting that limits on social gatherings could soon be eased, lifting the cap from five people to 10.
Read the story from the Star’s Robert Benzie.
9:20 a.m.: Yukon Premier Sandy Silver is expected to announce what he says will be a comprehensive reopening plan as the territory copes with the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a social media message posted earlier this week Silver says the announcement will come today but he also says his government is not ready to declare the risk has ended in Yukon.
The last case of the new coronavirus was reported in the territory on April 20 and health officials say all 11 cases recorded since the start of the pandemic have now recovered.
Entry into Yukon is still banned to all but residents, non-resident family members, deliveries or anyone transiting the territory to a neighbouring jurisdiction, but those people must stay on prescribed routes and complete their trip within 24 hours.
8:40 a.m.: The City of Mississauga will be reopening its two owned golf courses, BraeBen and Lakeview. Golf courses are the first city facilities in Mississauga to open, according to a news release.
“I’m supportive of the province’s decision to reopen golf courses with strict physical distancing and enhanced health and safety measures in place. I know many golfers are anxious to hit the green and enjoy the great outdoors. While the experience may be a bit different this year, the safety of players and staff is our top priority right now,” mayor Bonnie Crombie said in a statement.
“Most golfers I know spend most of their time away from others looking for their ball. These reopenings will also help the city recover lost revenue and address our financial losses as a result of this pandemic.”
BraeBen will open to customers on Saturday and Lakeview will open the following week on May 21.
8:25 a.m.: People who clean teeth, cut hair, work with children and serve food will be at high risk for coming into contact with COVID-19 when the economy opens, says a new report released Friday by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
Read the story from the Star’s Alex McKeen.
7:52 a.m.: The German economy shrank by 2.2 per cent in the first quarter compared with the previous three-month period as shutdowns in the country and beyond started to bite, official data showed Friday. That means Europe’s biggest economy went into recession following a small dip at the end of last year.
The decline in the January-March period was the second-biggest quarterly decline since Germany was reunited in 1990, exceeded only by a 4.7 per cent drop in the first quarter of 2009 at the height of the global financial crisis, senior statistics office official Albert Braakmann said.
7:17 a.m.: Global shares advanced Friday on signs of improvement in China’s economy after it reopened from its pandemic shutdowns.
Benchmarks in Europe opened higher following an upbeat session Friday in Asia.
Factory output rose in April as China’s virus-battered economy reopened but job losses depressed consumer spending, a key driver of growth, challenging the ruling Communist Party’s push to revive normal activity.
Investment in factories and other fixed assets also improved as businesses reopened after China’s deepest economic slump since at least the 1960s, official data showed Friday.
6:06 a.m.: Moscow authorities on Friday began free coronavirus testing for all residents. Under the program announced by Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, tests for coronavirus antibodies, a marker of infection, will be conducted at 30 clinics throughout the city.
The program will allow officials “to know precisely how many Muscovites had coronavirus and developed immunity, how many people are infected or are suspected to have coronavirus,” the mayor said in a blog post Thursday.
Moscow, with a population of more than 12 million, accounts for half of the country’s more than 262,000 reported infections.
5:50 a.m.: Mexico reported its largest one-day rise in coronavirus cases, with 2,409.
Assistant Health Secretary Hugo López-Gatell said Thursday the country is at “the most difficult” moment in the pandemic. It was the first time in Mexico that the number of new cases exceeded 2,000 in one day.
In percentage terms, the 6% increase was not the biggest one-day jump.
Officials also reported 257 more deaths from COVID-19, for a total of 4,477 since the pandemic began. There have been higher one-day death tolls this week.
The increase in cases comes four days before Monday’s scheduled partial reopening of key industries such as mining, construction and automobile assembly.
5:36 a.m.: Slovenia has become the first European country to proclaim an end to the coronavirus epidemic at home.
The European Union state’s government said Friday the COVID-19 spread is under control and there is no longer a need for extraordinary health measures.
The government says EU residents are free to cross into Slovenia from Austria, Italy and Hungary at predetermined checkpoints, while most non-EU nationals will have to undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine in what is a major step for the small Alpine country as it accelerates the easing of restrictions.
5:31 a.m.: Authorities have reported the first coronavirus case in the crowded camps for Rohingya refugees in southern Bangladesh, where more than 1 million people are sheltered.
The person from the Rohingya community and a local person who lives in the Cox’s Bazar district who also tested positive have been isolated, Mahbub Alam Talukder, the country’s refugee commissioner, said Thursday.
Aid workers have been warning of the potential for a serious outbreak if the virus reached the camps. The dense crowding with plastic shacks standing side by side housing up to 12 residents each mean the refugees would be dangerously exposed to the virus.
5:23 a.m.: The World Bank has approved $1 billion in emergency response to support India’s efforts at providing social assistance to poor and vulnerable households severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
A bank statement says the move will increase its total commitment to India to $2 billion. A $1 billion package was announced last month for India’s health sector.
An immediate allocation of $750 million will help scaleup cash transfers and food benefits to provide robust social protection for essential workers involved in coronavirus relief efforts and benefit migrants and informal workers, the bank statement said late Thursday.
5:17 a.m.: Typhoon Vongfong’s ferocious wind and rain left at least one dead in the Philippines and damaged hundreds of coronavirus isolation facilities and homes, along with rice and corn fields in five hard-hit eastern towns alone, a governor said Friday.
The typhoon’s maximum sustained wind speed dropped to 110 kilometres per hour with gusts of 150 kph but it remains dangerous especially in coastal and low-lying villages, forecasters said. Vongfong was expected to blow out of the country’s north on Sunday.
Office of Civil Defence Director Claudio Yucot said the evacuations took time because workers needed to wear masks and protective suits and could not transport villagers to shelters in large numbers as a safeguard against COVID-19.
5:05 a.m.: Ukraine’s human rights ombudswoman has appealed to authorities to find a solution for scores of infants born to surrogate mothers for foreign parents who are stranded because the country’s borders are closed under coronavirus restrictions.
Ukraine has a thriving surrogate industry and is one of the few countries that allows the service for foreigners. Concern is high that a long border closure will place a burden on clinics and distress the parents.
4 a.m.: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to announce today an extension to the federal government’s 75 per cent emergency wage subsidy — just as businesses across the country are taking the first cautious steps toward reopening after a two-month, pandemic-induced shutdown.
He is also expected to announce significant financial support for thousands of medical researchers whose work is unrelated to the COVID-19 crisis.
The $73-billion wage subsidy program was initially slated to run until June 6.
Trudeau last week said it would be extended and today he’ll reveal for how long. The extension is expected to be for at least an extra month.
Thursday 9:17 p.m.: China has gone a month without announcing any new deaths from the coronavirus.
The National Health Commission reported four new cases of the virus Friday, all local cross-infections in the northeastern province of Jilin where a cluster of uncertain origin has been detected in recent days. The last time the commission reported a death was on April 14.
Just 91 people remain in treatment for COVID-19 and 623 others are under isolation and monitoring for being suspected cases or for having tested positive without showing symptoms, including 11 newly detected.
In total, China has reported 4,633 deaths among 82,933 cases since the virus was first detected late last year in the central city of Wuhan.
China has maintained social distancing and bans on foreigners entering the country, but has increasingly opened up the world’s second-largest economy to allow both large factories and small businesses to resume production and dealings with customers.
Thursday 6:15 p.m.: Even as Canada and the U.S. continue to strictly limit cross-border travel, the union representing Canadian border officials say they need more support to effectively screen travellers for COVID-19.
And that need could only grow, as Canadian officials prepare for an “inevitable” increase in traffic as the two countries slowly begin to reopen their economies.
But along the Canada-U.S. border, where only essential travel is allowed, anyone exhibiting COVID-like symptoms is screened by health officials over the phone.
“My understanding is there’s not a sufficient number of officers at Health Canada and (the Public Health Agency of Canada) to be on site. Apparently there are only a handful in Canada of those experts,” said Jean-Pierre Fortin, the head of the Customs and Immigration Union, in an interview Wednesday.
Click here to read more of Thursday’s coverage.