Coronavirus Update: Trudeau says Canada won’t pay full price for masks that do not meet medical standards

Good evening, here are the coronavirus updates:

Top headlines:

1. Canada will not pay full price for eight million sub-standard masks: PM
2. U.S. approves new coronavirus antigen test with fast results
3. Musk threatens to pull Tesla factory out of California

In Canada, at least 67, 619 cases have been reported, which is more than double the number from 21 days ago. There have also been 30, 993 recoveries and 4,690 deaths. Health officials have administered 1,116,146 tests.

Worldwide, there have been at least 3,995,144 cases confirmed, 1,348,180 recoveries and 277,319 deaths reported.

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

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Coronavirus in Canada

There are currently at least 3,038 hospitalized cases, up 5 per cent in the last week. Of those, 453 are in intensive care.

• Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada will not pay full price for eight million sub-standard masks. The federal government suspended shipments of N95 respirators from a Montreal-based supplier after about eight million of the masks made in China failed to meet specifications. Trudeau said the move speaks to the government’s “rigorous verification system” overseen by the Public Health Agency of Canada.
• Another resident of Nova Scotia’s largest long-term-care home has fallen victim to COVID-19.The Northwood facility, which has more than 400 residents, is the site of the province’s worst outbreak. Provincial health officials said Saturday that deaths related to the viral infection had risen to 47, with 41 of those cases reported at Northwood.
• Alberta daycares preparing to open as early as Thursday will be limited to 10 people per room and must implement increased cleaning and daily health screening to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The province has distributed guidelines to child-care providers ahead of the first phase of its relaunch plan, which will also include the re-opening of retail stores, restaurants and other businesses.
• Premier Doug Ford said hundreds of provincial parks would reopen with physical distancing rules in place on Monday, with the rest set to open by the end of the week. The announcement comes as Ontario reported another 346 cases of COVID-19 and 59 more deaths related to the virus. The daily growth rate was at its lowest since March at just 1.8 per cent, with a new total of 19,944 cases of the coronavirus.

Coronavirus around the world

Worldwide, there have been at least 3,995,144 cases confirmed, 1,348,180 recoveries and 277,319 deaths reported.

• U.S. regulators have approved a new type of coronavirus test that administration officials have promoted as a key to opening up the country. The Food and Drug Administration on Saturday announced emergency authorization for antigen tests developed by Quidel Corp. of San Diego. The test can rapidly detect fragments of virus proteins in samples collected from swabs swiped inside the nasal cavity, the FDA said in a statement. The antigen test is the third type of test to be authorized by the FDA.
• In the age of COVID-19, protests there don’t look or sound much like they used to. Instead of standing shoulder to shoulder with their political allies, those who attend the weekly demonstrations stand alone or with their families inside little boxes that have been drawn on the ground with chalk, guaranteeing exactly two metres of physical distance from the next protester.

Coronavirus and business

• Tesla CEO Elon Musk threatened to pull the company’s factory and headquarters out of California in an escalating spat with local officials who have stopped the company from reopening its electric vehicle factory. The company’s Fremont plant has been closed since March 23. Musk says he’ll relocate the company’s headquarters to Nevada or Texas.
• The retail industry was already in a difficult spot before the pandemic. With limited cash on hand, and a sector in disruption, many retailers were already living on the edge. Now, with the added economic shock of the coronavirus, some will not survive.
• When the provincial government allows factories across Quebec to reopen on May 11, some seven weeks will have passed. Seven weeks during which the province has become Canada’s COVID-19 hotspot, with more than half its cases and deaths. Seven weeks of a shutdown that has dealt a crushing blow to Quebec industry and brought its multiyear economic boom to an end. Here’s a look at how BRP, the Quebec manufacturer of Ski-Doo snowmobiles and Can-Am off-road vehicles, planned a slow, careful restart.
• Women, particularly those with lower-paid jobs in the service sector, bore the brunt of initial earnings and employment losses as the retail sector shut down in March, giving rise to the notion of a she-cession. But the latest monthly Labour Force Survey from Statistics Canada is showing a much different divide in the job market, even as broad national unemployment rockets up at an unprecedented rate.

Distractions

For Mother’s Day:

How to indulge and take care of mom (or yourself) this weekend

We could all use a little self-care in these stay-at-home pandemic times. With Mother’s Day tomorrow, we’ve gathered stories and ideas to help you show mom you care, from takeout and wine options to books and movies to share. If you’re a mom in need of a quick escape, indulge in some pampering with our skin and hair care advice.

More Globe reporting and opinion

• Eight weeks into the COVID-19 pandemic, Ian Brown shares a glimpse of what quarantine is like for his son Walker, who was born with a condition called cardio-facio-cutaneous syndrome, and has lived in the group home since he was 12 years old. Brown finds unexpected richness amid the pain of isolation.
• Can people be reinfected by COVID-19? The answer can be determined only with time. So far, limited reports of reinfection by the virus from South Korea and China are inconclusive and could be due to tests picking up the residue of an initial infection that has not yet cleared. But in Canada experts stress that organized monitoring for changing immunity levels to COVID-19 should begin now to deliver meaningful data in the future.
• Kelly Cryderman: “Camping, opening soon in some parts of Canada, appears to be relatively low-risk. It’s outdoors, and there’s built-in physical distancing. Relatively, you might not have far to travel to get to a campsite. But like many other aspects of life upended by the pandemic, it’s far from straightforward."
• Margaret MacMillan: “It is not too soon to start asking what we have learned. Why did COVID-19 spread so quickly? Why do some societies seem to be coping better than others? Did we overreact, or could we be doing more or different things? And what lasting effects will there be on the world?”

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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