Stay home and avoid taking holiday trips, Canadians are advised

    Canada column for Sunday, Dec.19/21

    THE CANADIAN REPORT

   By Jim Fox

    “Stay at home, be safe and prudent and avoid foreign travel.”

   That’s the plea from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as Canada faces a surge in pandemic outbreaks.

   Those who do choose to continue with their holiday and winter getaway plans will face tougher scrutiny upon their return to prevent more cases from entering the country.

   “Now is not the time to travel,” the Prime Minister said, warning against non-essential international travel and plans to ramp up arrival tests at airports for incoming overseas travelers.

   Medical officials say Christmas gatherings should be small in size with good ventilation in the rooms and the wearing of high-quality masks, not made of cloth.

   The provinces have started rolling back measures including reduced sizes of gatherings including sports events.

   This includes plans to possibly switch schools and colleges to virtual learning in January.

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    With the number of virus outbreaks across Canada soaring, the government said on Friday it will be reintroducing the travel requirement for a pre-arrival negative PCR COVID-19 test.

   This will be effective on Tuesday (Dec. 21) and includes all travelers leaving Canada without regard of the duration of the trip on their return, said Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos.

   The test must be taken in a country other than Canada before their return home to Canada.

   “The Government of Canada is advising Canadians to avoid all non-essential travel outside the country and I will say it again: now is not the time to travel,” he said.

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    News in brief:

   - Canada has recorded its highest single-day new cases of the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus in seven months at 7,145 outbreaks across the 10 provinces and territories. This increases the number of active cases to almost 44,000, with Quebec leading at 2,800.  Ontario followed with 2,500, British Columbia, 750, Alberta, 475, Manitoba, 218 and Saskatchewan, 55 new cases. In Atlantic Canada, there are 500 new cases. The push is on to get adults vaccinated with a booster shot along with their two earlier shots.

   - Canada’s Consumer Price Index rose 4.7 percent last month as consumers paid more for most products. Statistics Canada said this matches the increase in October, the highest since February 2003. Transportation and shelter prices contributed most to the increase with gasoline up 43.6 percent, furniture, was 8.7 higher and food was up 4.4 per cent.

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    Facts and figures:

   Canada’s dollar is steady at 78 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.28 in Canadian funds, before exchange fees.

   The Bank of Canada’s key interest rate remains steady at 0.25 percent while the prime lending rate is 2.45 percent.

   Canadian stock markets are mixed, with the Toronto index up at 20,889 on Friday while the TSX Venture index was down at 889 points.

   The average price for gas in Canada is steady at $1.39 a liter (Canadian) or $5.30 for a U.S. gallon.

   Lotto Max: (Dec. 14) 3, 21, 22, 26, 28, 44 and 49; bonus 34. (Dec. 10) 17, 21, 27, 32, 45, 46 and 49; bonus 19.

   Lotto 6/49: (Dec. 15) 1, 9, 12, 18, 35 and 48; bonus 19. (Dec. 11) 1, 6, 26, 27,43 and 46; bonus 12.

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    Regional briefs:

   -   The Coquihalla Highway, a major link between British Columbia’s Lower Mainland and the rest of the province has reopened to essential traffic five weeks after it was heavily damaged by severe rainstorms and flooding. Transportation Minister Rob Fleming said it is “one of the most remarkable engineering feats” in the province. There were 20 locations torn up, destroyed or washed away, including seven bridges.

   - A Nova Scotia woman thought he could win the jackpot by stealing lottery tickets from a store where she worked in Brighton. Mounties were called to investigate when it was found that lottery tickets were being cash without payment for them. The investigation showed the cost of the unpaid tickets and the winnings paid out to the employee was more than $50,000.  Katherine Foote, 30, of Marshalltown, was arrested for theft and fraud.

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