Window to flatten curve is narrow, says top doctor
Quebec retail executive says supply chain safe
Canada’s top public health officer raised the risk level associated with the growing COVID-19 pandemic on Sunday even as retailers and top politicians reassured Canadians that any restrictive measures would not result in shortages of food or other basics.
Both the Retail Council of Canada and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said supplies of groceries and other basics would continue to flow even if the outbreak of the novel coronavirus triggered widespread store or border closures.
That possibility loomed larger after the country’s chief public health officer stopped describing the situation as low-risk.
“Our window to flatten the curve of the epidemic is narrow,” Dr. Theresa Tam said at a news conference. “We all need to act now. COVID-19 is a serious public health threat.”
Tam’s new assessment did not immediately trigger fresh advice to prevent the spread of the pandemic. Tam repeated previous government messages about avoiding large public gatherings, practising social distancing and avoiding travel outside of Canada.
She did clarify, however, that Canadians returning from trips abroad should immediately go into self-isolation for 14 days rather than simply self-monitoring.
Tam’s assessment of the evolving situation received a strong endorsement from the head of a prominent group of hospitals in Toronto.
Dr. Kevin Smith, CEO of the University Health Network, said bold action at every level is necessary to stem the tide of the virus.
He said he too believes the risk is significant and would like to see more businesses and public spaces shut down to limit the potential for community spread.
Fears associated with the COVID-19 pandemic have triggered a rush on drug and grocery stores across the country as people flocked to buy basics en masse.
While the Retail Council of Canada said the current high demand for food, toilet paper and other staples is understandable as the number of positive cases continues to climb, it urged Canadians not to succumb to panic.
Marc Fortin, president of the council’s Quebec chapter, said supply chains continue to function as normal and goods will continue to flow even if major trading partners close their borders in a bid to curb the spread of the virus.
Fortin said about 70 per cent of commonly purchased items are produced domestically, ensuring their continued availability in Canadian stores. He acknowledged the situation is more precarious for fresh produce and other items being imported at this time of year, but said retailers have suppliers in a variety of countries and have contingency plans in place.
Trudeau said a measured approach will be important in all aspects of life as Canadians navigate the outbreak, which has so far infected more than 320 people in the country and caused one death.
The number of cases continued to climb on Sunday, with Ontario reporting 42 new cases, bringing the total to 145.
The province announced Sunday it planned to table a bill to offer protections for workers affected by the outbreak and waive the requirement for doctors’ notes, but offered no timelines. The province’s Superior Court said it would stop operating on Tuesday for all but the most urgent of matters, as Ontario also shuttered casinos and urged hospitals to start postponing elective surgeries.
Health authorities in Quebec reported 11 new cases, prompting Premier François Legault to call for the closure of public places in the province such as bars, gyms, libraries and movie theatres.
Legault did not include stores or restaurants in his message, but urged eateries to operate at 50 per cent capacity in order to promote social distancing.
Alberta, meanwhile, has ordered the immediate cancellation of all kindergarten to Grade 12 classes in the province and closure of daycares as it tries to limit the spread of COVID-19.
Alberta reported 17 new cases of the novel coronavirus Sunday and announced that two of its 56 patients were sickened by an “unknown source.”
Dr. Deena Hinshaw, the province’s chief medical officer of health, said that the two people who caught COVID-19 from people who hadn’t left the province changed the landscape.
“Until now, all cases in Alberta had been travel-related or close contact with a returning traveller,” Hinshaw said. “These two cases mean that there are other cases in the community that we have not identified, increasing the likelihood that Albertans may be exposed within their communities.”
The Manitoba government reported three more cases in that province, bringing the total to seven.
Authorities in Nova Scotia said COVID-19 had officially reached that province after three people tested positive for the virus. Premier Stephen Mcneil responded by announcing schools and daycare centres would be closed for two weeks following March break, which is set to begin Monday.