Canada's prime minister tells out-of-country Canadians to come home now and self-isolate

   Canada column for Sunday, March 22/20

   THE CANADIAN REPORT

   By Jim Fox

   “The time to come home is now,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said repeatedly to Canadian “snowbirds” and those travelling around the world the past week.

    That’s because airlines are ceasing operations due to the COVID-19 outbreak of which 1,000 people have become infected across Canada with 10 deaths.

    To try to contain the virus, Canada and the U.S. have sealed the border in both directions to “non-essential travel.”

   Canadians and Americans are still allowed to go home, with Canada saying they have to spend 14 days in self-isolation when they get back.

   The movement of goods by truck and train, health professionals and others who live on one side and work on the other are exempt.

   In a surprise announcement, Trudeau said illegal migrants flooding into Canada avoiding proper crossings will be refused entry and not admitted as before.

   The measures are “temporary” but needed as the world battles the new coronavirus outbreak, Trudeau said.

Canada-U.S. border closing to non-essential travel

For story, go to the Canadian Press article:

https://canoe.com/news/national/canada-u-s-working-on-mutual-deal-to-restrict-non-essential-travel

Trudeau promises $82 billion in economic supports in COVID-19 fight

For story, go to the Canadian Press article:

https://canoe.com/news/national/trudeau-promises-82b-in-economic-supports-in-covid-19-fight

Canada could close border with U.S.; urges citizens against travel over virus

   Canada column for Sunday, March 15/20

   THE CANADIAN REPORT

   (c) By Jim Fox

   The Canadian government is considering closing the Canada-U.S. border to slow the spread of COVID-19, if the situation worsens.

   It will also be more complicated for Canadians returning home from the U.S. and abroad as they could face 14-day periods of quarantine.

   There are 193 confirmed cases and one death from the disease across Canada.

   Just before the one-week March school break began on Friday, the government called on Canadians to cancel or postpone all non-essential travel outside the country until further notice.

   Border and travel measures could “severely disrupt travel plans for Canadians and potentially leave them stranded abroad longer than expected,” Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said.

   As well, international flights into Canada will soon be limited to a small number of airports, said Federal Minister of Transport Marc Garneau.

   Canadians were cautioned earlier about travel and advised to change their plans to return home.

  They were also advised not to cruise and now ships will not be allowed to stop in Canada until July 1 with the Alaska season cancelled.

Canadian teams working on lab-in-a-box to diagnose novel coronavirus

   Canada column for Sunday, March 8/20

   THE CANADIAN REPORT

   (c) By Jim Fox

   Teams of Canadian medical specialists are working to develop a “lab-in-a-box” to diagnose quickly and attack the novel coronavirus that’s sweeping the world.

   While saying the risk for Canadians in contracting the disease, also known as COVID-19, remains low, cases are popping up across the country.

   The Canadian government is spending $27 million to support 47 research teams.

   They are developing, testing and implementing ways to deal with the global outbreak.

   This includes $1 million from the International Development Research Center to work on the lab including viral respirologists in Vietnam and Brazil.

   “This is about making sure that Canada is able to participate in this research that is happening globally and that we have Canadian solutions being developed,” Health Minister Patty Hajdu said.

   The Canadian government says there are 51 cases confirmed in Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta and Quebec and urges people to use caution when travelling abroad.

Canada ready and on watch for coronavirus

   Canada column for Sunday, March 1/20

   THE CANADIAN REPORT

   (c) By Jim Fox

   Canadians are being reassured that the risk of contracting novel coronavirus “is low” and health authorities are ready.

   Dr. Theresa Tam, who heads the Public Health Agency of Canada, said the country has methods to monitor the possible spread of the virus that are typically used to monitor influenza.

   There are 14 confirmed cases of the virus in Ontario, Quebec  and British Columbia that all have links to international travel, mainly from Iran and China with someone who has recently returned to the country.

   Should public-health agencies discover the spread of the virus, also known as COVID-19, they will work quickly to try to contain it, Tam said.

   Already Canada is looking at tracking local spread of the virus along with those linked with international travel.

   This is something “that all countries should be moving toward as well,” she said.

   The public health agency is taking stock of the need for personal protective equipment and other supplies to make sure there are enough to go around in case of a pandemic outbreak.