Coronavirus Update: Ontario declares state of emergency, issues stay-at-home order as cases surge

Good evening, On Thursday, Jan. 14 at 1:30 p.m. ET, The Globe and Mail education reporter Caroline Alphonso will be in conversation with associate professor Prachi Srivastava, answering reader questions about the impact of the pandemic on education. Please send your questions to audience@globeandmail.com. Now, here are the coronavirus updates you need to know tonight.

Top headlines:

1. Ontario has announced more COVID-19 restrictions – such as reduced curbside pickup hours for non-essential businesses, including hardware stores and the LCBO, and prolonged school closings in hot spots – as hospitals near capacity
2. Two Canadian nurses who spoke at an anti-lockdown rally in Washington, D.C., on the day of the deadly storming of the Capitol last week, are under investigation
3. A third U.S. House Democrat has tested positive for COVID-19 after last week’s Capitol riots, prompting concern that the insurrection is a superspreader event

In the last seven days, 55,827 cases were reported, up 6 per cent from the previous seven days. There were 1,002 deaths announced, up 17 per cent over the same period. At least 4,715 people are being treated in hospitals and 576,446 others are considered recovered.

About 70 per cent of the 552,075 doses of vaccine distributed to provinces have been administered. That’s 1.0 dose for every 100 people in Canada.

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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: Coronavirus in maps and charts • Lockdown rules and reopening • Canada’s vaccine distribution plan • Developing/approved vaccines • Pfizer’s vaccine, explained • Essential resources

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Coronavirus in Canada

• Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced stay-at-home orders and another state of emergency. Schools in hot spot regions will stay closed for an additional 2½ weeks, but rules for non-essential manufacturing are unchanged.
• Saskatchewan extended public-health measures it brought in over the holidays until at least Jan. 29. The province announced another 248 new cases of COVID-19 and five more deaths today.
• Quebec reported 1,934 new cases of COVID-19 today, the third day in a row reporting fewer than 2,000 new infections. Montreal and its northern suburb of Laval reported the most new cases. Also in the province, hospitals could be forced to default to what has been called the “nightmare scenario” – a government protocol to decide who is admitted to intensive care and who isn’t – in a matter of weeks. And, Premier François Legault thanked Quebeckers for co-operating with the province’s new curfew.
• In B.C., a First Nation says it has faced discrimination in the community since 73 people tested positive for COVID-19 this month.
• In Manitoba, health officials reported fewer than 100 COVID-19 cases Tuesday – a significant milestone for the province.
• Edmonton is mourning the loss of one of its health care aides, who died from COVID-19.

In Ottawa, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government has reached an agreement to purchase an additional 20 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine.

• The doses are to arrive in April or May, the Prime Minister said, adding the government will continue to work to get more vaccines delivered as soon as possible.

COVID-19 vaccines: A new poll shows 68 per cent of Canadians would definitely take a COVID-19 vaccine when it is available to them.

Spread of COVID-19: A lack of adequate paid sick leave for front-line workers is fuelling transmission of COVID-19, doctors and advocates say.

Coronavirus around the world

• The pro-Trump riot at the U.S. Capitol last Wednesday could be a superspreader event, as a third House Democrat has tested positive for COVID-19.
• Britain has resorted to temporary morgues in some areas after local hospital mortuaries ran out of space.

Coronavirus and business

Following a cabinet shuffle this morning, Omar Alghabra takes on the minister for transport role amid a time of crisis for Canada and the aviation industry.

• The airline industry was surprised at the appointment of a little-known politician with no experience in the portfolio at a time when the industry is imperiled by lack of demand and confusion over testing logistics, an insider said.
• The National Airlines Council of Canada says the industry is keen to work with the new minister on the “safe restart” of air travel and the rollout of a COVID-19 testing regime linked to travel quarantines and border restrictions.

Also today: Nearly 180 cases of COVID-19 have been tied to Alberta’s Lake Louise Ski Resort and Nakiska Ski Area, and Big White Ski Resort near Kelowna, B.C., mostly originating in staff accommodations.

And: U.S. Federal Reserve officials say the transition to a new administration on Jan. 20 and a likely accelerated vaccine rollout have left them optimistic about economic recovery.

Globe opinion

• Alan Bernstein, André Veillette and Bartha Knoppers: Protocols dictate that a two-dose schedule for the mRNA vaccines is needed. Meaning, we should not tamper with approved protocols in an effort to vaccinate as many people as quickly as possible.
• Opinion: It’s hard to understand why the Ontario Premier would tell his constituents that the house was ablaze but wait 96 hours to reveal his fire-suppression plan.

More reporting

• What will commercial real estate look like in 2021?
• What stocks caught the eyes of hothouse investors during the pandemic? These are the favourites that resonated most.
• Starbucks says it is on track to close up to 300 coffee shops across Canada by the end of March.

Information centre

• When will a COVID-19 vaccine be available in Canada? How well do they work? Here’s what you need to know.
• 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. Wash your hands. How to break a bad habit (like touching your face). Is flying safe?
• 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.
• Find answers to your coronavirus and employment questions.

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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