Good evening, here are the coronavirus updates you need to know tonight.
Top headlines:
- Canadian economy added 419,000 jobs in July; recovery remains uneven
- Ontario’s child-care centres to receive $234.6-million in funding
- How has the pandemic changed consumer spending?
In Canada, there have been at least 118,561 cases reported. In the last week 2,762 new cases were announced, 12 per cent fewer than the previous week. There have also been at least 103,104 recoveries and 8,966 deaths. Health officials have administered more than 4,584,295 tests.
Worldwide, 18,811,953 cases have been confirmed; with 708,424 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
Cemetery worker Joao Pablo de Souza plays the saxophone in tribute to Maria Pereira, 72, who died from the COVID-19, during a funeral service at the municipal cemetery in Nova Iguacu, Brazil on August 7.Silvia Izquierdo/The Associated Press
Number of the day
419,000
Canada’s economy added 419,000 jobs in July, the third straight month of gains, and the unemployment rate fell from 12.3 per cent to 10.9 per cent, StatsCanada reported today.
- In June, the economy added 953,000 jobs, while May saw a surprise gain of 290,000 jobs. The increase in jobs has slowed. That’s likely the result of a slowdown in restrictions being eased, an economist at CIBC said.
- Of the jobs added in July, part-time work made up the majority (345,000 or about 82 per cent). Part-time work is more common in industries, like retail or tourism, that previously reported bigger losses over full-time work.
- Unadjusted for seasonality, the jobless rate for those aged 15 to 69 was 11.3 per cent in July. In comparison, the rate was higher for South Asian (17.3 per cent), Arab (17.3 per cent), and Black (16.8 per cent) Canadians. For those who are not a visible minority or Indigenous – in essence, white people – the jobless rate was 9.3 per cent in July.
The country’s labour market has recovered 55 per cent of the jobs lost between February and April.
Coronavirus in Canada
- Ontario said licensed child-care centres will receive $234.6-million in funding, with money coming from the federal government’s $19-billion safe restart fund. The provincial government did not specify when the support would arrive, but said it will be in “short order.” Starting September, child-care centres will be able to resume operating at 100 per cent capacity, the government said.
- A doctors association in Saskatchewan called on the province to proceed with greater caution in reopening schools after the government announced a plan that would return students to “as normal a situation as possible.”
- Starting August 24, passengers on transit in Greater Vancouver, British Columbia will be required to wear face masks, the transit authority announced yesterday.
Yesterday, a 72-year-old Canadian detained in a U.S. immigration centre died from COVID-19. James Hill was held for nearly three months in a detention centre that had a major COVID-19 outbreak.
Coronavirus around the world
- In the United States, White House officials are advising President Trump to go it alone and issue executive orders on coronavirus aid measures, after talks with Democrats failed to produce a new plan. The $600 weekly check for unemployed workers expired at the end of July. Meanwhile, employment growth was slow across all sectors last month.
- The government of Russia says it is about to become the first country in the world to approve a vaccine. Scientists around the world say the country is “cutting corners” and could end up with a treatment that is either ineffective or unsafe.
- The Philippines say the seven-fold increase in coronavirus cases in the country is because of increased testing. Nearly 1.6 million people have been tested – less than 2 per cent of its 107-million population. The country now reports more than 122,000 cases, surpassing Indonesia for the highest count in Southeast Asia.
Which countries do and don’t require face masks? The Globe reports on mask-wearing around the world and how it has changed: U.S. • Brazil • U.K. and Europe • South Africa • India • Russia • Asia-Pacific
Coronavirus and business
How has the pandemic changed the consumer?
- WFH and SFH: May online retail numbers doubled from last year, although they still represent just 10 per cent of the total market in Canada.
- Going out less, buying more: Retailers like Loblaw and Canadian Tire reported customers are making fewer trips, but stocking up more on each visit. This week, Canadian Tire reported its average basket size was up 34 per cent in its second quarter.
- No pants, no shirts, no shoes: The 10 fastest-declining products in June were all clothing, shoes and makeup. Clothing sales in Canada fell from $2.2-billion in February to $727-million in May.
- Rainy day funds on the rise: Saving are on the rise, but it’s not an even split. Canadians hit hardest by a recession are also likely to be the least able to save.
Also today: Second Cup reported its revenue fell 45.7 per cent in the second quarter to $3.5-million. The coffee chain said it is in the middle of a “portfolio review” of its 244 cafés to determine which locations will be closed, but will begin selling coffee in grocery stores as more people continue to work from home.
And: Sun Life net income falls as COVID-19 weighs down second-quarter earnings
Globe opinion
- Andrew Coyne: “If nothing else, when governments in Canada, at whatever level, unveil some new policy to fight the pandemic, requiring people to alter their behaviour in certain ways, they do not have to contend with the country’s leader telling them to ignore it.”
- Marta Zaraska: Could the COVID-19 pandemic could make us healthier in the long run?
- Yoni Goldstein: The school year is going to be tough. But I know parents will get through it
- Jillian Horton: Repeat after me: This is an emergency
More reporting
- Is hand sanitizer safe? When made and used properly, experts say yes
- How can Canada’s performing arts ecosystem change in the face of COVID-19?
- Data Dive with Nik Nanos: How the pandemic has changed our views on climate change
- Linamar’s second-quarter sales down by more than 50 per cent amid pandemic
Distractions
🍿 For the music movie fan: Four music documentaries for the weekend.
- The Go-Go’s: A look at the iconic eighties pop group. It’s a classic rise-and-fall story told conventionally and honestly about the sexism the band faced and the creative and personal tensions among the members.
- Creem: America’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll Magazine: This documentary is a lively oral history of long-gone magazine.
- Miss Americana: A backstage vérité glimpse behind the curtain, this Taylor Swift documentary is revealing in the drama it chooses to portray.
- Laurel Canyon – A Place in Time: A two-part oral history that features musicians and Laurel Canyon photographers in remembering the hillside L.A. hippie hood.
Information centre
- Rob Carrick’s 10-point checklist of things you should have done by now to protect or improve your money situation. Tips for minimizing 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; and what to do if you think you have the virus, and what you can do to help slow the spread of coronavirus. How to break a bad habit (like touching your face).
- The best foods to eat to maintain an immune system-friendly diet; and how to keep a healthy diet while working from home; four eating tips when working from home; and five mistakes that might cause you to gain unwanted weight. Here are the essentials to stock up on and how to shop safely for groceries; the best pantry staples and how to stop stress-eating. What to cook with rhubarb (aside from pie).
- Here’s what you should do if you are newly laid off; how to apply for CERB, EI, and other financial benefits; how the CRA might identify CERB fraud; and other coronavirus and employment questions answered. What to do if your employees don’t return to work because they want to collect CERB.
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Jessie Willms