Coronavirus Update: Ontario students won’t return to in-person class this school year, Doug Ford announces

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

Top headlines:

1. Ontario students will not return to in-person classes this school year, Premier Doug Ford announced today
2. Canada is doubling its cash commitment to the global sharing program known as COVAX, but isn’t sending any actual doses this month despite desperate pleas
3. Inside L6P: COVID-19 hit home in a very real way for this Brampton, Ont. journalist

In the last 7 days, 17,170 cases were reported, down 33 per cent from the previous 7 days. There were 251 deaths announced, down 15 per cent over the same period. At least 2,095 people are being treated in hospitals and 1,330,389 others are considered recovered.

Canada’s inoculation rate is 16th among countries with a population of one million or more people.

Open this photo in gallery:

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 • Tracking vaccine doses • Lockdown rules and reopening • Vaccine distribution plan • Four vaccines approved in Canada • Essential resources

Photo of the day

Open this photo in gallery:

Coronavirus in Canada

• Ontario will not reopen schools to in-person learning for the remainder of the school year, Premier Doug Ford announced today. The Premier said that he was “hopeful” the province would be able to move into the first step of its reopening plan ahead of schedule. Meanwhile, the province’s stay-at-home order lifted today, but many public-health restrictions remain in place.
• Quebec’s Education Minister says he expects children should be able to return to school in September without COVID-19 measures as long as infections are low and students are vaccinated – a plan that depends on making sure at least 75 per cent of kids aged 12 to 17 are vaccinated.
• Newfoundland and Labrador announced today it aims to reopen to out-of-province travellers as early as July 1. The province’s top doctor also unveiled a postpandemic reopening plan Wednesday.

In Ottawa, the federal government said it will donate another $220-million to the vaccine-sharing alliance COVAX to help purchase doses for 92 low and middle-income countries.

• When first and second COVID-19 vaccine doses are factored in, Canada has given out 64 doses for every 100 people in the country.
• More than two dozen countries, mostly in Africa, have given out fewer than one dose per 100 people.
• COVAX has distributed 77 million vaccine doses so far, and aims to get two billion delivered by the end of the year.

Inside L6P: “We did our best to stay strong – but when I tested positive, I lost my emotional strength,” writes Brampton journalist Vrunda Bhatt. Read her essay in English, Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu, or Gujarati.

Coronavirus around the world

• The European Union will keep an economic safety net in place next year to help member nations recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
• U.S. drug maker Moderna is gearing up to halve the dose of its COVID-19 vaccine so that it can also be used to combat variants and inoculate children.

Coronavirus and business

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is signalling her displeasure over millions of dollars in bonuses to Air Canada’s executives as the company negotiated a federal bailout.

• In a lengthy comment today, Freeland said she was disappointed in how some businesses seem not to be behaving as responsible corporate citizens while receiving taxpayer-funded federal aid to survive the pandemic.

Also today: Boeing – reeling from an air-travel collapse caused by the pandemic – faces a multibillion-dollar dilemma over how to rebuild sales in core airliner business.

Globe opinion

• Editorial board: Make COVID-19 history. Boost Canada’s vaccination rate to 90 per cent
• Bill Flanagan and Sean Rourke: Canada’s COVID-19 battle offers lessons for tackling our other epidemic: HIV

More reporting

• The 50th annual Juno Awards will air Sunday on CBC-TV and its digital platforms, after several COVID-19 setbacks

Information centre

• How well do vaccines 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.

What are we missing? Email us: audience@globeandmail.com. Do you know someone who needs this newsletter? Send them to our Newsletters page.