Coronavirus Update: Canada’s pandemic report card: Some provinces faring better than others

Good evening, here are the coronavirus updates you need to know tonight.

Top headlines:

1. Pandemic responses have varied across Canada, and each reopening will look unique from coast to coast. Where are the provinces and territories today and what challenges lie ahead?
2. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland says all options are open to reform long-term care; NDP leader Jagmeet Singh questions why a federal pension fund owns one of Canada’s largest private long-term care companies.
3. Canadian economy showing signs of fragile rebound as provinces trickle open.

In Canada, 88,473 cases have been reported, more than double the number from 34 days ago. There have also been 46,781 recoveries and 6,873 deaths. Health officials have administered 1,634,893 tests.

Worldwide, 5,928,097 cases have been confirmed; with 2,464,151 recoveries and 363,344 deaths.

Sources: Canada data is compiled from government websites, Johns Hopkins and COVID-19 Canada Open Data Working Group; international data is from Johns Hopkins University.

Coronavirus explainers: Updates and essential resources • Coronavirus in maps and charts • Lockdown rules and reopening plans in each province

Photo of the day

Watch: Physical distancing circles are added throughout Trinity Bellwoods, where last weekend crowds packed the park.

Number of the day

$152.8-billion

Pandemic spending by the federal government is projected to total $152.8-billion, up only a billion from its last biweekly report.

• The last report projected total spending of $151.7-billion. The rate of spending increases are slowing, as the government is now making fewer large-scale program announcements.
• CERB is now expected to cost $60-billion and the wage subsidy will cost $45-billion, for a total of $105-billion, the report said.

Coronavirus in Canada

There are currently at least 2,257 hospitalized cases, down 13 per cent from last week. Of those, 331 are in intensive care.

• Courthouses in Quebec will begin to reopen starting Monday. The province’s public health institute released models showing a gradual reduction in the number of hospitalizations and deaths until August.
• The legislature in New Brunswick adjourned after two days in response to a new outbreak in the province. Yesterday, officials confirmed a health-care worker who travelled out of province did not self-isolate before returning to work, and passed the virus to others in Campbellton.
• PEI extended its emergency order until June 14, and introduced an application process for seasonal residents to travel to the island.

Reopening across Canada: As the country looks to reopen, the Globe’s Tom Cardoso looks at where the provinces and territories are today, and the challenges in the months ahead.

Also today: All options are on the table to reform long-term care, including ownership structures, the Deputy Prime Minister said, as the NDP questioned why a federal pension fund, Revera, owns one of Canada’s largest private long-term care companies. Revera is facing two proposed class-action lawsuits alleging negligence.

And: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau co-hosted a virtual UN meeting on the global response to the pandemic. He said co-operation is necessary to rebuild the global economy.

Coronavirus around the world

• David Shribman: The U.S. election of 1860 was fought over the future of slavery in the United States. The 1932 election over how to respond to the Great Depression. The 1980 election over the role of government in the economy. The 2020 election is shaping up as a fight over whether Americans should wear a protective mask.
• Up to six people from different households will be allowed to meet outdoors next week as part of another easing of the coronavirus lockdown in England, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Thursday.
• South Korea reported 79 new coronavirus cases, the most in nearly eight weeks, triggering the return of tougher social distancing restrictions. At least 82 cases this week have been linked to a breakout at a logistics run by one of the country’s largest online shopping firms.
• India grappled with a scorching heat wave and a locus infestation today as coronavirus cases jumped by another 6,500.
• The United Nations announced it will delay a crucial climate change summit in Britain until late 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. This year’s meeting was billed as the most important since the 2015 summit that produced the Paris Agreement.

Coronavirus and business

As provinces slowly emerge from lockdown measures, there are signs of a fragile economic rebound as new job are posted, manufacturing plants and retailers reopen.

• Nearly 40 per cent of small businesses are fully open, up from 21 per cent in late April, according to recent survey results
• More than 50 per cent of businesses are fully open in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Saskatchewan.

“The worst has passed, in the sense that we can see economic activity reviving,” said one economist.

Also today: CIBC reported its second quarter profit fell 71 per cent.

• The bank set aside $1.41-billion in provisions for credit losses, or 1.39 per cent of its entire loan book. CIBC has granted payment deferrals worth $51.6-billion to clients.
• Profit from Canadian personal and small business banking dropped 64 per cent, to $203-million, while Canadian commercial banking and wealth management profit fell 37 per cent to $206-million.

Yesterday, BMO and RBC both reported a decline in profit of 54 per cent. On Monday, Royal Bank reported a drop in profit of 41 per cent.

Question and answer

Question: How does isolation affect older adults?

Answer: Grandparents have been waiting for months for public-health officials to relax restrictions on visits from their grandchildren, but will have to wait a little longer. Health experts say now is not the time to start visiting our most at-risk sector of the population.

Dr. Robert Madan, chief of psychiatry at a research hospital for the elderly in Toronto, says older adults can be profoundly impacted by social isolation measures.

“In the first couple of weeks, people were able to rally and thought this will be short-lived. But then as time goes on, they’re feeling more and more isolated and it becomes a stressor,” he said.

Madan says older people can also be more prone to loneliness. Some lose a significant social circle once they retire, and death and illness can cut down other friend groups as people age.

Anastasia Assuras, a registered psychotherapist in Toronto, says being a grandparent can also provide a sense of structure in the lives of older adults. So missing the social connection they get from regular visits from grandchildren can be tough to handle.

Madan says regular virtual visits, rather than in-person, can help — for those who have the technological capabilities, at least. Assuras says simple phone calls can be generally helpful for those unable to video chat, and dropping off groceries or gifts is another way to ensure grandparents don’t feel forgotten.

The Globe’s health columnist André Picard answered reader questions on social distancing and many additional topics.

An act of kindness

How to put pandemic savings to good use

Financial advisers say it’s important that people review and adjust their financial plans when faced with unexpected savings or costs.

“When we come into found money – and that’s what people have right now if they’re both still working and not paying as much expenses – it’s just super important we make that money work for us for the long-term,” said one financial educator.

Have you witnessed or performed acts of kindness in your neighbourhood? Share your stories, photos and videos and they might be included in The Globe and Mail. Email audience@globeandmail.com

Distractions

For the fitness buff: Progress safely into ‘the big three’ strength exercises

If your training goals involve building mounds of muscle, learn the foundations before moving serious weight

• Goblet squat before squat: Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell tight to your sternum and squatting with an upright posture, the goblet squat does a great job of training the upper back and core, two areas that need to be strong in order to shoulder significant weight during a barbell squat.
• Floor press before bench press: Lie down on the floor with a pair of dumbbells in your hands, arms extended to the ceiling; lower your elbows to the floor, then press the weight back up.
• Sumo deadlift before deadlift: This deadlift is performed with a wide stance and an almost upright posture, making it an ideal alternative for lifters with lower back issues. But what I like about sumo deadlifts is the emphasis the exercise places on the hips.

More Globe reporting and opinion

• Farmers’ markets, deemed an essential service, have been allowed to keep selling food, albeit with varying levels of restrictions and adjustments depending on the health regulations in each province or territory.
• Air Canada is tapping securities markets for $1.4-billion as Canada’s largest airline bolsters its cash balance amid a near collapse of global air travel.
• Canadian National Railway Co. is making deeper cuts to its work force amid a plunge in rail traffic and economic demand stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Lori Turnbull: “As businesses and public spaces gradually reopen across the country, Canada’s federal legislature – or at least the COVID-19 version of Parliament – is, oddly, choosing to do the opposite.”
• Ashley Nunes: “Where’s my money? That’s the question air travellers want answered. As the COVID-19 pandemic ravages economies worldwide, thousands of Canadians are stuck with tickets in hand and no place to go, and they want their airfares refunded.”

Information centre

• Here’s what you should do if you are newly laid off; how to apply for CERB, EI, and other financial benefits; and other coronavirus and employment questions answered.
• How to minimize damage to your credit score; how to manage retirement anxiety during difficult times; and things to think about if you’re considering home delivery.
• Here are the expectations for self-isolation; tips for managing anxiety; and protecting your mental health.
• How to get physical distancing right; measures condo buildings are taking to encourage physical distancing; and what you can do to help slow the spread of coronavirus.
• Here are the essentials to stock up on and how to shop safely for groceries; the best pantry staples; foods to eat to maintain an immune system-friendly diet; and how to keep a healthy diet while working from home.
• How to break a bad habit (like touching your face) and what to do if you think you have the virus.

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Have questions about the coronavirus? Email audience@globeandmail.com.