Coronavirus Update: School administrators in Alberta begging province for COVID-19 absentee statistics

Good evening, here are the coronavirus headlines tonight.

Top headlines:

1. Absentee rates at Alberta schools are soaring – but the provincial government refused to disclose how many schools have hit the 10-per-cent absentee threshold
2. Canadian business owners are generally in support of vaccine mandates for their staff — but legal implications remain unclear
3. Sex toy habits changed in the pandemic (especially demand for quiet ones)

Coronavirus data will be published Monday through Friday

Coronavirus explainers: Coronavirus in maps and charts • Tracking vaccine doses • Lockdown rules and reopening

Photo of the day

Coronavirus in Canada

• The coronavirus has forced at least five schools in Alberta to shift to at-home learning this school year, according to the province’s education department. The trend has prompted school administrators and trustees to beg the provincial government to provide them with COVID-19 statistics and supports, such as contact tracing.
• Ontario released its budget report for the past fiscal year, which showed that the deficit for 2020-21 was $22-billion less than originally forecast, prompting critics to accuse Premier Doug Ford of penny pinching instead of fighting the pandemic. Two people were arrested Saturday after a clash between anti-vaccine protestors and security staff at Toronto’s Eaton Centre. Meanwhile, loosened capacity limits took effect Saturday at certain venues where proof of vaccination is required. The province is reporting 653 new COVID-19 cases Sunday and a total of six more deaths related to the virus.
• British Columbia is marking an 80-per-cent vaccination rate among eligible residents.
• Quebec is reporting 719 new COVID-19 cases today, with two more deaths related to the virus.
• New Brunswick logged 82 new COVID-19 cases Sunday, 64 of which were among patients who are not fully vaccinated.

Coronavirus around the world

• Streets in Norway’s largest cities were filled with people celebrating the end of COVID-19 restrictions that lasted more than a year.

Coronavirus and business

Canadian business owners generally support vaccine mandates for their staff, but are hesitant to implement one because of a range of unanswered questions regarding its legal implications and practical application.

• Business owners fear legal repercussions if they terminate an employee who refuses to get vaccinated after implementing a vaccine mandate, according to an expert.

Also today: Hosting a hybrid event that is engaging for in-person and remote employees is easier said than done. Here are some pointers.

Globe opinion

• Kelly Cryderman: Alberta’s ICUs are strained and so is Jason Kenney’s UCP leadership
• Kevin McKechnie: Battling to save unvaccinated patients has left me exhausted and demoralized
• Patrick Brethour: Ottawa’s pandemic spending spurs tax-revenue windfall in Ontario

More reporting

• First Person: My mutation is no X-Men fantasy but the pandemic could be my Legacy Virus
• Staying in is the new going out, and the latest home furnishings and accessories aim to make a laid-back lifestyle more stylish than ever
• With few viable ways to distract ourselves from the panic, then monotony of the pandemic, it’s no wonder sex toy sales have spiked since April 2019

Information centre

• Everything you need to know about Canada’s travel restrictions for vaccinated and unvaccinated people
• Waiting for a second dose? We answer your COVID-19 vaccine questions
• What is and isn’t ‘paid sick leave’ in Canada? A short primer
• Got a vaccine ‘hangover’? Here’s why

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

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