CANADA BEGINS RECALLING DIPLOMATS

Staff ‘may be more directly impacted’

Canada is recalling some staff from embassies and consulates around the world as COVID-19 forces governments to take almost unprecedented action.

“We recognize that due to the nature of our work, many of our employees at home and abroad may be more directly impacted by the spread of the virus,” said a spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada.

“To date, there has been a two-staged authorized departure of non-essential Canadian staff and dependants in missions abroad.”

The decision to require some diplomatic staff and families to return home was “on the basis of health risk assessments.”

The decision comes as Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam said Thursday it will be weeks before Canadians know if border clampdowns, social distancing and closures of businesses are slowing the spread of COVID-19, as the testing catches up with the spread of the virus.

“It’s a bit like watching the light coming from a star; what you are seeing reported today is actually something that happened a while back,” said Tam. She said because people are unlikely to get tested before they have symptoms and it then takes a few days for tests to be performed, the results we are seeing now likely represent infections that happened weeks ago. She said the results a week or two from now will show how effective these steps have been at flattening the curve of new infections.

“What I would like to see, and will be watching very closely in the next two weeks or so, is what actually happens to that curve.” See SPREAD on NP2

HEALTH RISK

The country has ground to a halt over the last week, with isolation measures gradually ramping up, more businesses closing, events being cancelled and people staying home.

As of Thursday afternoon, there were 772 cases in Canada of the virus and nine deaths. A week ago there were 157 cases.

Tam said now is the time to keep up the social distancing measures, wash hands and avoid others to ensure the virus doesn’t escalate.

“Our collective resolve to overcome COVID-19 must be solid and unbendable. We don’t just need to flatten the curve, we need to plank it.”

While the country awaits to see if these unprecedented steps do pay dividends, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made clear more extreme options to deal with the crisis remained on the table.

“We are considering using any measures necessary to ensure Canadians and our health care system have the support they need.”

Trudeau spoke again from just outside Rideau Cottage, where his family has been in self isolation since his wife was diagnosed with the virus last week.

He said the closure of the U.S. border, including the Ambassador Bridge between Windsor and Detroit, announced Wednesday would come into force overnight Friday into Saturday.

Sweeping travel restrictions from the rest of the world went into force Wednesday and Thursday, and the government announced Service Canada offices would no longer offer passport services.

Foreign Affairs Minister François-philippe Champagne went into self isolation Thursday after experiencing flu-like symptoms. He is now awaiting a test for COVID-19.

Trudeau said while people should stay home as much as possible, blood donations are now urgently needed and if people can do that it would be helpful.

“We still need blood donors, so if you are able, consider going in and making an appointment.”

Trudeau said part of the research funding the government announced last week was already in the hands of 49 research teams, who were looking at ways to keep the virus from spreading.

Earlier this week, Trudeau said the government was looking at the emergencies act. That legislation would give the government even more sweeping powers to restrict travel, close businesses and even conscript people into necessary work.

Tam said the government is staying on top of the demand for medical supplies from provinces so far, and is continuing to search for more masks, gloves, hand sanitizer and ventilators should the provinces need them.

She said so far they haven’t received a request from a provincial government for ventilators.

“We have had no specific request for ventilators at this point. What we are doing at the federal level is pre-empting that, by acquiring them in case provinces should need them.”