Ontario is reporting 412 new cases of COVID-19 and 27 new deaths related to the virus Saturday. In Quebec the tallies are worse.
Ontario now has a total of more than 25,000 cases, which includes 19,146 resolved cases and 2,048 deaths.
The rise in cases represents a 1.7 per cent increase over Friday’s total, and the daily growth rate has hovered between 1.5 and 1.9 per cent over most of the last two weeks.
The province was able to complete 11,028 tests the previous day, which is still well below the province’s capacity of 21,000 per day.
New testing regulations start Saturday, with asymptomatic front-line health-care workers being tested across the province.
The province will also begin a second round of testing in long-term care homes, which have been hardest hit by COVID-19.
Quebec, meanwhile, added 75 COVID-19-related deaths to its tally, bringing the provincial death toll up to 3,940.
The province also reported 697 additional confirmed cases, raising the number of COVID-19 cases across the province to 46,838 – with more than 23,000 in Montreal.
The province began allowing outdoor gatherings with a maximum of 10 people from three families with social distancing in place, beginning Friday.
The province will further relax measures on Monday when some retail businesses are set to reopen in the greater Montreal area.
The government has been urging people with symptoms to get tested and authorities reported Saturday they surpassed their daily testing goal, conducting 14,572 tests.
Quebec health officials also reported that 14,044 people have recovered from the virus.
In New Brunswick, no new cases were reported on Saturday as the province entered the next phase of its recovery plan, allowing people to expand their social circles.
There is one active case of the illness in New Brunswick out of 121 confirmed cases.
The “yellow level” of the province’s recovery plan will be rolled out in stages over the coming weeks, allowing businesses to open in waves, starting with barbers, hairstylists and non-regulated medical services on Friday.
Also starting Friday, residents were permitted to form “bubbles” with up to 10 relatives and friends.
The yellow phase will see groups of 50 people or fewer permitted starting May 29, with physical distancing.
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