Indoor horse racing tracks, car racing tracks and other similar venues will close. - From CBC News and The Canadian Press, last updated at 7:15p.m. Get email updates from your favourite authors. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. or redistributed. CNN values your feedback 1. 2022 also saw a massive increase in the number of Canadians infected with the virus after the Omicron variant emerged in late 2021 and tore through communities and countries across the globe. Toronto Maple Leafs fans hoping to make a trip down south to catch a playoff game against the Florida Panthers will hit an unexpected road block. Boat tours will be permitted at 50 per cent capacity. Tracking every case. But making the official designation of a virus as endemic is not necessarily a scientific endeavour, but rather is more political and can vary, says, an epidemiologist at the University of Ottawa. B.C. If you are ELIGIBLE, please get your VACCINE!Ontario is moving into Phase 2 of its #COVID19 vaccine distribution plan. The Public Service Alliance of Canada has reached a tentative contract agreement with the Treasury Board covering more than 120,000 federal government workers across the country. Premier @fordnation says the province cant afford another lockdown and wants to see the economy booming again. It can be done with appropriate safety measures. 'We're in big trouble': Doctors worry Canada's 4th wave of COVID-19 The P1 variant, first associated with Brazil and believed to be less responsive to vaccines, now accounts for 270 cases in clusters traced to travel to and from Whistler and into Interior Health. Here are the new lockdown restrictions on deck for Ontario Stay in the loop with the blogTO newsletter In the midst of Ontario's rapidly climbing COVID-19 case counts, the province has reached a. Two men from southern Ontario pleaded guilty to shooting a moose standing on a road north of Thunder Bay in 2021. CNN Ontario announced a province-wide "emergency brake" shutdown beginning this weekend as Canada's most populous province struggles to cope with a surge in ICU admissions that provincial. Read more: FUREY: Ontarians are locked down again -- and that's unacceptable, Katy Perry will be temporarily replaced by big-name star on 'American Idol', LILLEY: Three years after Trudeau's gun ban, nothing has changed, Man who lost wife, son in Texas mass shooting tells story, DEAR ABBY: Ex-girlfriend believes she wasn't cheating. Ontario declares one-month lockdown as it battles surge of Covid cases Order comes less than a week after plans to reopen businesses reversed while vaccine teams will target high-risk workers. "We want to keep containing the epidemic and not undo the efforts we have made. The Ontario government announced more COVID-19 restrictions on Monday due to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, saying the province will return to a modified Step 2 of the reopening plan. The virus moves with people.. Toronto Maple Leafs' Ilya Mikheyev (65) celebrates with teammates after scoring his team's fifth goal against Ottawa Senators in front of empty seats during third period of an NHL hockey game in Toronto on Saturday. Legal Statement. Ontario needs stronger public health measures to fight Omicron, experts Legal Statement. But Toronto seems to be scrambling to get people to sign up for shots. Hong Kong will allow non-residents who are vaccinated and have a negative virus test to fly into the city . It doesnt mean we can stop bothering about those responses., If governments decide to change their messaging to say the virus is endemic, she believes the result could be problematic.. For the last several months, WHO officials have been urging countries to beef up tracking, testing and sequencing of COVID-19, following a marked decline in surveillance measures as public health restrictions have been relaxed worldwide. British Columbiais imposing a three-week"circuit breaker" lockdownin the province that includes restrictions on indoor gathering and dining. also became one ofthe latest to adjust itsplans involving the AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine as the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) recommendsa pause in the use of the vaccine on those under the age of 55. But avoiding non-essential travel remains an advisory rather than an enforceable order, despite spring break travel driving a significant number of cases in the past week. We have enabled email notificationsyou will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Coronavirus Updates Covid News: Canada Will Reopen Border With U.S. Heres what you need to know, Major announcement on Canadas most wanted list in Toronto this morning, Maple Leafs host Panthers to start the 2nd round, Ontario education and mental health ministers to make an announcement, 'A beacon of protection': Girl's death sparks training for judges in Ontario, One person arrested for slapping police horse during Maple Leafs celebrations, North York restaurant manager charged after allegedly sexually assaulting two victims, PSAC says tentative agreement reached with Treasury Board for 120,000 workers, How to create a 'win-win' situation for workplace mental health: psychologist, King Charles to uphold long-standing royal tradition of celebrating birthday twice, Trump lawyer seeks mistrial in rape case, citing judge bias, Mother-to-baby HIV transmission shouldn't be happening in Canada, researchers say, Nearly half of Canadians didn't use all their vacation days in 2022: survey, Michael J. PSAC strike: Feds say final offer to union has enhanced wage package. With case numbers shooting up in Ontario, Alberta and B.C., health experts worry that Canada could be going into its worst wave of COVID-19 yet, unless governments act now to stop it. The province continues to advise people to work from home if possible as workplace cases and clusters drive community transmission. Canada: Toronto goes into lockdown again - The Week Fair enough, but Ontarians must then push back and ask: What the hell does that have to do with me? THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes. As Canadians close the door to 2022 and look ahead to the new year, many may be hopeful they can also look forward to good news when it comes to COVID-19. Canada continues to see rising new daily cases of Covid-19 and hospitalizations as officials warn the variants are spreading rapidly and are a threat to younger Canadians. On Monday, authorities in the eastern Punjab province also announced a two-week-long partial lockdown in high-risk cities startingApril 1 in an attempt to containthe spread of the virus. Henry also reversed her decision to temporarily allow small indoor religious services. Add some good to your morning and evening. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. When fighting broke out between the Sudanese military and a rival paramilitary group known as the RSF, Wajan Mohamed feared for her sister's safety. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Indoor dining at restaurants, bars and other food or drink establishments will no longer be permited. Ontario enters third COVID-19 lockdown as efforts to reopen the border Bogoch says this drop in surveillance and data collection is problematic and a major issue in Canada and around the world. The Canadian government contemplated restricting non-essential travel to the U.S. after one month of freer flowing traffic. What experts say, Boost your defences ahead of winter viral spread, Ottawa urges in mail campaign, More investment needed to counter COVID-19 misinformation, Canadas top doctor says, WHO is very concerned about Chinas COVID-19 surge, vaccination rates, COVID-19 vaccine rollout delay would have cost Canadian economy $156B: study. Given that virtually all former public health restrictions have been lifted across Canada, an official declaration of COVID-19 being endemic is unlikely to change much, Sulis said. There was an error, please provide a valid email address. He said new contagious variants and a slow vaccine rollout have put them on lockdown again. New COVID variant could emerge amid drop in surveillance, vaccination, WHO warns. How does one add hospital capacity? COVID-19 lockdowns by country - Wikipedia WATCH |Manitoba narrows use of AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine: InQuebec,the Health Ministry said it has also temporarily stoppedadministering the AstraZenecavaccine to people under the age of 55. It seems to be an excuse by policymakers to do nothing just because something is endemic hands up, we cant do anything about this, he said. They had no choice, said Dr. Andrew Morris, a professor of infectious diseases at the University of Toronto and the medical director of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at Sinai-University Health Network. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. It hobbles our ability to explain to the public the status of the disease., Read more: imposing 3-week 'circuit breaker' lockdown, restricts indoor gatherings. WATCH |Infectious disease specialist says NACI recommendation 'makes sense': Dr. Janice Fitzgerald,Newfoundland and Labrador's chief medicalofficer ofhealth, announced during an unscheduled briefing that the provinceplans to pausegiving the AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine to people under the age of 55. ", Walensky appealed to elected officials, community leaders and everyday Americans to maintain physical-distancing measures and to continue to wear masks. Ontario, B.C. More investment needed to counter COVID-19 misinformation, Canadas top doctor says. At the same time, he stressed that guidance from the federal government is thatthe vaccineis safe for people over 55. But will 2023 be the year the emergency phase of the pandemic is declared over and thatCanada recognizes the virus as endemic? The Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit, which was introduced in October 2021 and became law on December 17, 2021, provides income support of $300 per week to workers whose employment is affected as a result of a public health lockdown and who are either unable to work or have lost 50 per cent or more of their income due to such restrictions. These are likely to include new, more stringent gathering limits from the current 25 indoors to 10, just before the holidays and lowering capacity limits in certain settings to just 25 per cent. Several more daily maximum temperature records were broken around B.C. "The good news is we've already vaccinated all the high-risk people in nursing homes and retirement homes, everybody over 80, now we are at everybody over the age of 55 getting their first shot.". School buildings would be permitted to open for child care operations and to provide in-person instruction for students with special education needs who cannot be accommodated remotely. Ontario has a population of more than 14.7 million. Gyms and cinemas will also close and hospitals have also been told to pause all non-urgent surgeries. Toronto Maple Leafs' Ilya Mikheyev (65) celebrates with teammates after scoring his team's fifth goal against Ottawa Senators in front of empty seats during third period of an NHL hockey game in Toronto on Saturday. Health Minister Mai al-Kaila said the Sinopharm vaccines that arrived in Ramallah will "greatly contribute to speeding up the community vaccination campaign.". In theAmericas, a delivery of 1.5 million doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine from the United States landed in Mexico City, Mexico's Foreign Affairs Ministry said, following an accord that U.S. President Joe Biden made with Mexico this month. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is expected to call a provincial election during an announcement later this morning in Calgary. It turns out, declaring or deciding that a virus is endemic is not a straightforward or clearly-defined practice. WATCH |How can people reduce COVID-19 risks outdoors? He added that he's "99 per cent sure" the province won't face any of the more stringent measures we've had to weather in recent months, though "nothing in this pandemic is 100 per cent" and he will always follow the guidance of his health table. From Australia to Israel and around Europe,. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Im asking you to remember that we can get through this., Anyone can read Conversations, but to contribute, you should be a registered Torstar account holder. The less data we have, were wandering blindly into who knows what, and that can only harm us, he said. Like the U.S., Ontario is seeing record new infections. Premier Doug Ford also announced the closure of indoor dining. Canada is heading towards a potential sixth COVID-19 wave, experts say, as cases and hospitalizations have started to creep back up again across the country. Here are the new lockdown restrictions on deck for Ontario. Ford said they are expecting a "tsunami" of cases and noted just one percent of 100,000 new cases a day could overwhelm hospitals. Unauthorized distribution, transmission or republication strictly prohibited. But, rest assured, we won't have to worry about it ever again, if the words of Ford himself who has numerous times has said he can't standlockdownsare anything to go by. Grand River Transit workers are on strike as of Monday. Ontario Locks Down With Virus 'Killing Faster and Younger' Almost half new ICU patients in Canadian province are under 60 'This is a new pandemic. Market data provided by Factset. As Covid policies divide America, Ontario doubles down (again) We've received your submission. Maybe its time to get some of them off the field, end this unjustified lockdown and get in people who can rise to the occasion. Health Canada says surveillance indicators, including clinical and wastewater testing, show that SARS-CoV-2 is still circulating across the country, and while Canada is past the peak of the. The Canadian province of Ontario, the country's most populous, will enter another lockdown on the weekend for 28 days, local media reported, as it grapples with rising COVID-19 cases and intensive . According to data released by the province, 841 COVID-19 patients were in hospital, with 382 of those listed as being in intensive care units. Like the U.S., Ontario is seeing record new infections. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. ", She added: "We have so much to look forward to, so much promise and potential of where we are and so much reason for hope. 5:05 a.m. Sara Fung was overcome with emotion when the first COVID-19 vaccines started pouring into Canada last December, and again in March when she received her first dose. Canadian Prime Minister. Its been confirmed by Public Health Ontario that the variant is significantly milder than the delta variant. "They had no choice," said Dr. Andrew Morris, a professor of infectious diseases at the University of Toronto and the medical director of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at Sinai-University Health Network. And while this is good news for Canada, the fact that COVID-19 immunity wanes over time means its still too early to declare the emergency over, Bogoch said. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. That they should be not just endorsing but urging this latest lockdown is really an admission of defeat on their part. All publicly funded and private schools will move to remote learning starting January 5 until at least January 17, subject to public health trends and operational considerations. A Winnipeg woman is shaken after a close call with two coyotes and is now calling on the city to put up warning signs. ET. "I know there is discussions about that right now around what that will take and if people can prove they've been vaccinated, why wouldn't they be allowed to cross the border?". In terms of simple business closures, Toronto has probably had the longest lockdown in North America, and possibly the world, says Dan Kelly, president of the Canadian Federation of Independent . They lost out on so much, so many big life moments. On Saturday, the province reported more than 1,000 new cases for the first time since mid-February. Ontario is locking down again, unlike the U.S. cities and states. We encountered an issue signing you up. announced on March 9 that it would offer the AstraZeneca vaccine to people aged 18 to 29 who work in gas stations and convenience or grocery stores. Ontario Provincial Police have laid a charge in the crash that sent CTV News Kitchener reporter Stephanie Villella to hospital with life-threatening injuries earlier this year. Star Newspapers Limited and/or its licensors. In theAsia-Pacificregion,Hong Kong will ease some coronavirus restrictions, the government said on Monday, allowing swimming pools and beaches to open and shortening the quarantine period for some international arrivals to 14 days from 21.