Coronavirus Update: Toronto’s top doctor warns the city could be following in Europe’s footsteps

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

Top headlines:

1. Montreal’s public-health director strikes lighter tone than Toronto’s Eileen de Villa, who warns the city could be following in Europe’s footsteps
2. WestJet will become first airline to begin issuing full refunds for flights in Canada cancelled because of COVID-19
3. School boards struggle with software tech issues as teachers adapt to virtual learning

In Canada, there have been at least 205,748 cases reported. In the last week 16,363 new cases were announced, 0.6 per cent more than the previous week.

There have also been at least 173,392 recoveries and 9,824 deaths.

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Worldwide, there have been at least 40,783,425 cases confirmed and 1,124,745 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.

Coronavirus explainers: Coronavirus in maps and charts • Lockdown rules and reopening • Mask-wearing rules • Back to school guide • Essential resources

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Coronavirus in Canada

• Ontario’s Premier Doug Ford says his government’s COVID-19 liability bill will not grant extra protection to negligent long-term care providers.
• Manitoba will increase fines for ignoring public-health orders on gathering capacity or physical distancing rules. The fines will increase to $1,296 from $486 for individuals, and $5,000 from $2,542 for businesses.
• Almost half of young adults in Montreal say the pandemic has had a considerable effect on their mental health, according to a survey by the city’s public health agency. Quebec reported 1,072 new cases of COVID-19 Wednesday and 19 additional deaths.

In Ottawa,

Health officials in Toronto and Montreal struck vastly different tones on the state of COVID-19 in their cities on Wednesday, with Toronto’s medical officer of health warning the Ontario capital could be following in the footsteps of hard-hit Europe.

Meanwhile, Canada has received its first shipment of 100,000 rapid COVID-19 tests, ID Now kit, which provides results in fewer than 15 minutes, the Minister of Public Services and Procurement said.

• The minister also said Canada is on track to receive more than 2.5 million of the ID Now tests by the end of the year, and a shipment of the Abbott Panbio rapid test will arrive shortly.

Also today, the NDP announced it would not support the Conservatives' ethics committee motion, preventing the minority Liberal government’s collapse and averting a federal election.

Across the country, as virtual learning has dramatically expanded because of the pandemic, some teachers and families are struggling with the limitations in online educational platforms. Experts worry that technical challenges may adversely affect student achievement.

Coronavirus around the world

• Watch: South Yorkshire will join Liverpool and Lancashire in the highest tier of COVID-19 restrictions in Britain. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has also said he would impose the same measures in Manchester after failing to agree a support package with local leaders.
• Weeks of heavy fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces in Nagorno-Karabakh has diverted the region’s scarce resources from containing the virus, which spread unchecked amid artillery fire and drone attacks that have people spending many hours in overcrowded bunkers, whether they are sick or healthy.

Coronavirus and business

Retail spending in August rose 0.4 per cent, shy of estimates of 1.1-per-cent growth and a signal that pent-up demand has been met after a rush of consumer spending early in the economic recovery.

• The retail sector has carved out a quick V-shaped recovery, with total sales in August 1.8 per cent higher than prepandemic in February, and 3.5 per cent from last year.
• At the industry level, auto, grocery, and home improvement-related sales were up; sales in sporting goods, hobby and bookstores, and furniture stores were down.
• The spending slowdown is not unexpected, as stores reopening in May and June released a torrent of buying activity as consumers looked to purchase goods that were off limits in March and April – a pace that wasn’t sustainable for long.

Also today: The home improvement business is booming amid COVID-19 pandemic

And: WestJet says it will begin providing refunds to passengers who had their WestJet and Swoop flights cancelled by the airlines as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic – the first airline to offer full refunds for all flights in Canada.

More reporting

• A judge dismissed the application from homeless advocates to suspend ban on encampments in Toronto parks
• The government of Ontario will provide COVID-19 liability protection to some workers, businesses and organizations.
• Ski resorts across the United States and Canada are preparing for a physically distanced season
• Putting my pandemic garden to bed this fall gives me hope for next spring

Information centre

• 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. Wash your hands. How to break a bad habit (like touching your face). Is flying safe?
• 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.

Sources: Canada data are compiled from government websites, Johns Hopkins University and COVID-19 Canada Open Data Working Group; international data are from Johns Hopkins.

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