Coronavirus Update: Ontario Premier Ford will consider a regional reopening of the province

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

Top headlines:

1. Ontario premier looking into regional reopening of the province
2. Trump says U.S. will cut ties with WHO
3. Canada’s GDP down 7.2 per cent in March

In Canada, 89,388 cases have been reported, more than double the number from 35 days ago. There have also been 47,454 recoveries and 6,979 deaths. Health officials have administered 1,671,310 tests.

Worldwide, 5,870,077 cases have been confirmed; with 2,463,332 recoveries and 362,491 deaths.

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

Photo of the day

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Number of the day

7.2 per cent

Real GDP fell 7.2 per cent in March from February, the largest monthly decline since Statistics Canada began recording.

• First quarter real GDP dropped at an 8.2-per-cent annualized rate, the worst since the financial crisis.
• Statscan estimated an 11-per-cent decline in real GDP in April, the first full month with lockdown restrictions in place.

It is possible that April will represent the bottom of the downturn. In May, several economic indicators have shown improvement, although they remain well below pre-crisis levels.

Coronavirus in Canada

There are currently at least 2,189 hospitalized cases, a 14 per cent drop from a week ago. Of those 316 are in intensive care.

• In New Brunswick, the chief executive of one of New Brunswick’s health authorities said the COVID-19 outbreak is a worst-case scenario in the region due to underlying health issues and an older population.
• The premier of Ontario reversed course and said he will consider a regional approach for reopening the province. All 34 local medical officers of health in the province had called for the change earlier this week. The province released its new testing strategy today.
• In Quebec, 41 staff and students tested positive for COVID-19 in the first two weeks of school being open.
• Alberta’s EMS reported an uptick in opioid-related calls. The province will distribute 20 million free non-medical masks at drive-thrus starting in June. The premier faces criticism for incorrectly referring to COVID-19 as influenza.
• In Saskatchewan, fines will not be given to those who participated in the gatherings which triggered an outbreak in the province. The provincial NDP called for amnesty for all COVID-19-related fines in Saskatchewan.

In Ottawa, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced an additional $285-million in funding for public health efforts in Indigenous communities. The funds will go towards ensuring “surge capacity” and additional support for community-based services in the case of outbreaks.

• The Prime Minister also announced that it would provide $270-million to support an on-reserve income assistance program and $44.8-million over the next five years to build 12 new shelters for Indigenous women and girls fleeing violence.

Also today: The Parliamentary Budget Officer called the government motion to suspend regular House sittings “unfortunate.” The decision will limit a review of billions in COVID-19 spending to no more than four hours.

• “The amount of scrutiny for this unprecedented spending would also be unprecedented, but for the wrong reasons,” the budget watchdog said.

“We haven’t left her”: How some families of long-term care home residents with dementia are finding ways to connect with isolated and vulnerable loved ones.

Coronavirus around the world

• The United States will cut ties with the WHO, and said China has “total control” over the organization.
• India has reported 6,000 new infections every day this past week, even as the country is beginning to lift its two-month lockdown. The country, home to 1.3-billion people and struggling with van overburdened health care system, has not yet reached peak infections, experts warn. And: A troop of monkeys attacked a medical official and snatched away blood samples of coronavirus patients, authorities said on Friday.
• Unlike many countries, Sweden did not enforce widespread lockdowns. While high schools and universities closed, schools for younger children stayed open. The country did not track cases among students and staff.

The WHO and 37 of its member countries appealed for common ownership of COVID-19 vaccines, medicines and diagnostic tools, saying they should be made available as “global public goods.” Small and developing countries worry resource-rich nations pouring resources into vaccine development will be at the front of the line when a treatment is found.

Coronavirus and business

Laurentian Bank reported a second quarter decline in profits of 79 per cent.

• The drop is largely due to a spike in provisions for potential loan losses tied to weakening economic conditions.
• Laurentian responded by cutting its dividend to 40 cents a share, down from 67 cents, the first instance of a large Canadian bank doing so since 1992, according to data from Refinitiv.

This week, all of the five big banks reported a second quarter decline in profits. BMO and RBC both reported a decline of 54 per cent, Royal Bank reported a drop of 41 per cent. Profits at TD and CIBC were down 52 and 71 per cent respectively.

Question and answer

On May 28, the Munk Dialogues hosted David Brooks, columnist for the New York Times, for a live Q&A on the future of politics and society after the pandemic. An edited and condensed transcript is available here.

Rudyard Griffiths: Everyone thinks COVID-19 will finally wake people up to the gross inequalities of capitalism. How will this pandemic change our politics, culture and society in the decade to come?

David Brooks: I think we’ve done a good job in the last 60 years of giving people at the top of society room to run. Giving them educational opportunities. Unfortunately, the top 20 per cent have outcompeted and they have built structures so it’s hard for the bottom 80 per cent to get into certain schools or certain jobs.

There’s a mass of people at the supertop who are insulated from risk.

The people in the bottom 80 per cent have high risk and low reward. That shift in risk is the key thing that’s emerged. People competed and they passed their advantages down to their kids, building a shelter for people in the educated class.

Shifting that, so there’s lower risk and higher reward for people in the bottom 80 per cent has got to be the agenda for the future. Rethinking our meritocracy has got to be the agenda for the future. We’ve just come to the dead end that has been recognized both on the right and the left, in different ways. That’s why I think change is coming.

The Globe’s health columnist André Picard answered reader questions on social distancing and many additional topics.

An act of kindness

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I am dandelion, hear me roar: The importance and purpose of the flower

“Given our COVID-19-influenced consciousness, maybe if we are able to offer dandelion a little more gratitude and a little less generously poured poison, we just might hear the roar of dandelion lore. We might even be completely inspired by the strong survivor, good role model and symbol of anti-fragility – for our COVID-19-encrusted 21st century.”

Have you witnessed or performed acts of kindness in your neighbourhood? Share your stories, photos and videos and they might be included in The Globe and Mail. Email audience@globeandmail.com

Distractions

For the TV or movie fan who cannot make a decision: Try these on-demand options.

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• Little Fires Everywhere offers incendiary angst in the suburbs (8 episodes)
• HBO’s I Know This Much is True is searing, soulful family heartache (6 episodes)
• Comedy special Jerry Seinfeld: 23 Hours to Kill is a tonic for terrible times (1 hour)

More Globe reporting and opinion

• One of the world’s biggest multinational consulting firms is advising the Prime Minister’s cabinet on how Canada’s economy could emerge from lockdown. [For subscribers]
• Tax and Spend: Ottawa scaling up the projected cost of CERB while scaling back estimates for wage subsidy is an indication that more Canadians will remain out of work than government had originally expected.
• The federal government is exploring ways to reunite families separated by the closure of the Canada-U.S. border.
• Robyn Urback: "It takes a remarkable level of arrogance to think that during a period of unprecedented economic and social upheaval, parliamentary oversight is a frivolous formality that this government – exceptional in its own view – can simply do without. "
• Zoë Bell: “For those with eating disorders, the lockdown has piled up triggers and inflamed their effects to the extreme.”

Information centre

• Here’s what you should do if you are newly laid off; how to apply for CERB, EI, and other financial benefits; and other coronavirus and employment questions answered.
• How to minimize 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.
• How to get physical distancing right; measures condo buildings are taking to encourage physical distancing; and what you can do to help slow the spread of coronavirus.
• Here are the essentials to stock up on and how to shop safely for groceries; the best pantry staples; foods to eat to maintain an immune system-friendly diet; and how to keep a healthy diet while working from home.
• How to break a bad habit (like touching your face) and what to do if you think you have the virus.

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

Have questions about the coronavirus? Email audience@globeandmail.com.