As deaths jump, PM says crisis could last months
Ignoring rules could bring criminal penalty
OTTAWA • The Canadian death toll from the coronavirus outbreak jumped almost 50 per cent to 19 in less than a day on Sunday, and impatient officials threatened to punish people refusing to take precautions to fight the spread of the highly contagious illness.
Ottawa said late on Saturday that 13 people had died from the respiratory illness caused by the virus, but by Sunday morning that had grown to 19. The number of confirmed cases rose to 1,388 from 1,099.
Canada has already closed its borders to all but essential travel and announced a $27 billion aid package for people and businesses most affected by the crisis. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said more measures would be needed.
“We’re looking now at what those next steps are to ensure that our economy is able to pick up again once we’re through this. It is likely to take months,” he told reporters, but did not give details.
Ottawa says people who have returned from abroad must isolate themselves for 14 days and Health Minister Patty Hajdu said she could use the federal Quarantine Act to sanction those ignoring this requirement.
“We will use every measure ... to ensure compliance,” she told a briefing. “(This) could include monetary penalties up to, and including, criminal penalties.”
Nova Scotia on Sunday became the latest province to declare a state of emergency, closing borders to nonresidents and threatening to arrest those who do not practise self-distancing.
Premier Stephen McNeil told a news conference that despite warnings to avoid meeting in large groups, people were flocking to provincial parks and other common areas.
“We are dealing with a deadly virus and this behaviour is unacceptable,” he said. The province is banning gatherings of more than five people, a much stricter limit than other jurisdictions.
Nova Scotia Justice Minister Mark Furey said violators will be issued tickets and fines.
“The fines under the Health Protection Act are for individuals found in breach of the order $1,000 for each fine for each day. And for businesses and corporations $7,500 in the first instance and for each subsequent day,” Furey said.
In Quebec, premier François Legault tightened existing restrictions to force the closure of all shopping malls. Only food and liquor stores and pharmacies can stay open.
“Right now there are still too many people in shopping malls,” he told a briefing, saying restaurants would only be able to offer takeout service. All schools will be shut until May 1.
In Ontario, some child care centres will stay open to care for the children of health care workers and first responders, the Ontario government said Sunday. Education Minister Stephen Lecce announced the new policy less than a week after all child care centres in the province were ordered to close when the government declared a state of emergency.
He said centres could provide up to 50,000 spaces by the end of the week but will be required to follow health and safety requirements when it comes to COVID-19.
The centres will also be required to limit the number of children they care for at one time, he added.
“This is an important step to enable our frontline workers to focus exclusively on saving lives and preventing the spread of COVID-19,” Lecce said.
The decision comes as Ontario Public Health reported 47 new COVID-19 cases Sunday morning, bringing the total in the province to 424. The provincial total includes eight resolved cases and four deaths. Officials said the latest patient to die was a Toronto man in his 70s.
On Saturday, the Northwest Territories reported what is believed to be the first case of COVID-19 in Canada’s North as it closed its doors to those from outside the territory.
The patient had travelled to British Columbia and Alberta, and developed mild symptoms three days after returning to Yellowknife, the government said.
“Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Kami Kandola has issued an order prohibiting entry of non-residents to the Northwest Territories by land, air, or port with limited exceptions,” Health Minister Diane Thom said Saturday.
“These measures are drastic. They will be challenging. But they are necessary.”
Disobeying that order is punishable by a fine of up to $10,000 and six months in jail, according to a news release.
The North is considered to be among Canada’s most vulnerable locations to an outbreak of COVID-19, because of the limited health care access.
The territory is requiring that returning residents self-isolate in Yellowknife, Fort Smith, Hay River or Inuvik in an effort to stop the virus from making its way to smaller, more remote communities.
Thom said the government is doing everything in its power to prevent an outbreak.
Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island are now requiring any one arriving in their provinces to self-isolate for 14 days, both domestic and international travellers. PEI added new screening measures at its borders to look for symptoms of COVID-19 among those arriving by car, ferry or air.
PEI, meanwhile, said Sunday it has a third confirmed case of COVID-19 — a woman in her 20s who had travelled to Spain. The woman flew into Toronto on March 14 and self-isolated at a hotel. She then flew to Moncton, N.B., on WestJet flight 3456 on March 16, and drove back to P.E.I.
British Columbia’s provincial health officer ordered all salons, spas, and tattoo parlours to close in the latest measure aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19.
“WE WILL USE EVERY MEASURE
... TO ENSURE COMPLIANCE.