Coronavirus Update: Poll finds 81% of Canadians think Canada-U.S. border should stay closed

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

Top headlines:

1. Poll finds 81 per cent of Canadians say the Canada-U.S. border should stay closed as death toll tops 130,000 stateside
2. UN experts find climate change, other environment degredation accelerates spread of COVID-19 and other zoonotic diseases
3. Unions tell MPs that grocery workers should still have pandemic pay bump, point to dozens on infected front-line staff

In Canada, there have been at least 105,934 cases reported. In the last week 2,016 new cases were announced, 12 per cent fewer than the previous week. There have also been at least 69,570 recoveries and 8,693 deaths. Health officials have administered more than 3,128,329 tests.

Worldwide, there have been at least 11,449,707 cases confirmed and 534,267 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.

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Coronavirus explainers: Updates and essential resources • Coronavirus in maps and charts • Lockdown rules and reopening plans in each province

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📧 This is the daily Coronavirus Update newsletter. Get it in your inbox newsletter?

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Number of the day

41 per cent

About 41 per cent of smaller companies who believe they qualify for the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance or CECRA said their landlord has not applied to the program, according to results published Monday by Save Small Business, a lobbying group created to support entrepreneurs during the pandemic.

• Another 14 per cent said their landlord has “maybe” applied.
• The survey drew roughly 1,660 responses, with half coming from British Columbia.

The results are the latest sign of tepid participation in CECRA, which aims to minimize rent for small businesses that have taken massive revenue hits during the pandemic.

Several landlords have told The Globe and Mail they aren’t bothering to participate in the federal government program, with some citing their struggles in applying.

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Coronavirus in Canada

• Starting tomorrow, Kingsville and Leamington will join the rest of Ontario in Stage 2 of the province’s reopening plan. Premier Ford said outbreaks on local farms are under control and community spread is low. Courtrooms in the province will begin to reopen gradually.
• Quebec will lock down bars again if public-health guidelines are not followed, the Health Minister said, following a string of reported incidents where patrons were not physical distancing. The province had three deaths in the past 24 hours.
• In Alberta, the Calgary Stampede adapted to COVID-19 reality with a mini-doughnut drive-through and distanced fireworks. Last week, a small group welcomed parade marshal Filipe Masetti Leite to the grounds after a 13-month ride on horseback from Alaska.
• The government of Saskatchewan said tenants missing rental payments during the pandemic will no longer have protection from being evicted as of Aug. 4.
• Prince Edward Island’s recorded 5 new cases over the weekend, after 67 days of no new infections.

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In Ottawa, union leaders representing thousands of grocery store workers told a House of Commons committee there’s no reason to cut pandemic pay premiums given the COVID-19 crisis is not over.

• Union leaders recommended stricter labour standards and oversight for the grocery sector.
• MPs on the industry committee agreed to look into the matter and will have a chance to question retail executives at the end of the week.
• Last month, grocery chains Loblaw, Metro and Empire, the parent company of Sobey’s, announced they were ending the pay bump – in most cases $2 an hour – for workers because the pace of business had eased.
• Also last month, the Empire, Safeway and other grocery stores reported record sales growth and earnings in the fourth quarter.

And: In a new poll, 81 per cent of Canadians say the Canada-U.S. border should remain closed to non-essential travellers for the foreseeable future. Last month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the border would say closed until at least July 21.

Plasma project: Can the straw-coloured liquid in the blood of coronavirus survivors help save the newly infected? A Canadian clinical trial wants to enroll 1,200 coronavirus-infected patients to find out.

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Coronavirus around the world

• U.S. coronavirus deaths topped 130,000, with infections on the rise in 39 states, and with 16 states recording new daily records in July. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo harshly criticized the White House’s pandemic response on Monday, accusing President Donald Trump of “enabling” the virus that causes COVID-19.
• Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega’s increasingly authoritarian government seems focused on covering up the virus rather than treating it, even while the Pan-American Health Organization urges the country to take aggressive measures.
• The pandemic and associated economic downturns have exacerbated the dangers for African women who have travelled to do domestic work for families in Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia and Lebanon.
• Thousands in Ukraine and Russia have recently flocked to Black Sea beaches but declined to practise physical distancing or wear a mask, despite high case numbers in both countries.
• United Nations experts said environmental degradation, including intensive farming and climate charge, help drive the spread of viruses, like COVID-19, that pass from animals to humans.

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Coronavirus and business

Two Bank of Canada business and consumer surveys show a “substantial widening in economic slack” as employment expectations sink to historic lows.

• Consumers are shopping and spending less because of coronavirus fears, and cancelling or postponing major purchases.
• Consumer caution is translating into sharply lower sales expectations and investment plans among businesses.
• The bank’s business outlook survey indicator dropped to its lowest reading since the financial crisis of 2008-09.

Also today: The pandemic may help accelerate the transition to e-bikes and e-scooters, as health and safety concerns keep people off mass transit.

• Bicycle sales jumped in April, according to a new report, as major Canadian cities are giving over more road space to create new bike lanes and pedestrian zones.
• However, several studies show more people who don’t own cars are looking to buy one as a result of the pandemic.

And: The U.S. services industry activity rebounded sharply in June

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Globe opinion

• Lori Nikkel: “For years, Canadians have survived with a patchwork system of aid to feed the hungry – a sprawling, informal network of some 60,000 charitable groups offering sustenance. Then came COVID-19, which ruthlessly exposed the precarity of this existing system.”
• Mark Leonard: “When COVID-19 struck Europe and forced millions of people into internal exile, many were overcome by a deep sense of loneliness. This reflected not only a craving to be reunited with friends and family, but also a broader feeling that their countries had been helpless and abandoned in the face of a global pandemic.”

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More reporting

• Coronavirus and the police killing of George Floyd are a crushing double blow to Black people’s health and well-being
• Canadian Broadway star Nick Cordero dies at 41 following three-month COVID-19 battle
• Since June 8, 35 NHL players have tested positive, the league said. The NHL is set to return for a 24-team playoff format
• Many in professional baseball and outside health experts are wondering how long a safe season will last
• Advocates take City of Toronto back to court over handling of shelter system during pandemic
• Pandemic slows disclosure of information to defence lawyers in RCMP secrets case
• Understanding immune responses to SARS-CoV-2

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Distractions

For the overheated: Try one of these three cool summer treats

• Cucumber-coconut-lime popsicles
• Homemade ice cream bars loaded with sprinkles
• A pitcher of peach and cucumber Pimm’s

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Information centre

• Pandemic personal finance: 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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