“I do not want to come here this morning. You don’t want me to come here this morning, ”he began. “But here we are again. Cases are on the rise across the country. We are facing a winter that will take more and more people inside. And we really risk seeing the case load increase and hospitals overflow and more loved ones die. “
Growing number: The six most populous provinces in Canada have seen dramatic spikes in Covid-19 cases over the past several weeks. The country currently has an average of 2,000 new wave cases, more than at any other stage during the first wave, with no sign of a twist. Nunavut, a remote area in the far north of the country, did not report a single Covid-19 case until November 6, with more than 70 cases reported in the last two weeks. Kovid-19 has killed more than 11,000 people in Canada since the outbreak began.
On Friday, Canada’s chief public health official outlined a new model deal that would paint a grim picture for the coming weeks and warned that the country was “not on the right track.” If people can maintain their current number of contacts, Dr Theresa Scotland said Canada could be logging into 20,000 daily cases by the end of December. If contacts increase, it could increase to 60,000 new cases per day.
Individual provinces have begun to impose stricter sanctions in recent weeks. In Manitoba, the province with the highest rate of infection per capita, new rules, effective Friday, prevent people from visiting their homes and businesses from selling unnecessary items. Other provinces, including Ontario and Alberta, have been reluctant to impose more new rules that would be causing more pain for already struggling businesses. On Friday, however, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced that Toronto and several surrounding cities would go into lockdown on Monday.
No national lockdown: In Canada, the province has jurisdiction over public health decisions. But the patchwork of rules in the provinces and territories has caused confusion, prompting Trudeau to call several quarters to use the power of the crisis to impose a national, integrated response to the second wave. However Trudeau has remained adamant that he does not want to infiltrate provincial decision-making. On Friday, he said using the Federal Emergency Act to ban travel between the provinces was “not an idea I’m still considering.”
He also saw one last spring that saw schools and businesses shutter across the country as other nationwide lockdown ideas were rejected. Given that the situation is not the same in all regions, he said, targeted sanctions are a more effective approach. “It was something easy for you in the spring,” he said of the nationwide shutdown. “And he did the turning point. But millions of Canadians endured and it was a big deal of no means. “
At the same time, he called on premiers and mayors to impose bans in areas where the virus is on the rise, and said the federal government would support businesses that are forced to close their doors temporarily. “Going into a lockdown and supporting businesses while they are in a lockdown is a great way to ensure their success in a few months, in a few years, trying hard through a virus that runs uncertain.”
On Thursday, the federal government passed a new law that would increase wage and rental subsidies for businesses until next summer. Canada and the USA also confirmed this week that the border will remain closed until at least December 21.
‘Long winter ahead.’ Trudeau urged people not to leave home if they did not have one, not to have parties, and to avoid seeing friends face to face. “It’s the future of our country, it’s the future of our children, it’s the future of our loved ones and our seniors.”
Apparently becoming emotional, he asked people to think about tired health workers in hospitals that are now at risk of extinction. “They are tired. They have been heroes. They are signing up for whatever they can think of and moving on, ”he said.
He acknowledged that the recent news about the two vaccine candidates, which may soon be ready for use, is a cause for hope, but warns against being happy. “We have a long winter,” he said. “It will be difficult, but we know what we have to do.”
However, Trudeau and Canada’s top public health officials have yet to tell people not to hold any gatherings on the holidays, although Trudeau said Friday that “the general Christmas is very clear on this question.” On Thursday, Quebec Premier Francis Legoulett outlined his province’s Christmas plan, which would allow people to gather in groups of up to 10 between December 24 and 27, until they were self-separated for a week before and after.
Asked for his reaction, Trudeau said Legault deals with the reality that people will meet on holidays, regardless of any rules. “I think we need to recognize that there are many weeks left until Christmas and people hope that there may be ways we can get together on Christmas,” he said, but added that what is allowed during the holidays “A lot depends on what we do right now.”
Trudeau and Tom shared new Covid-19 estimates with federal opposition leaders on Thursday. In response, Conservative leader Erin O’Toole issued a statement saying Canada was “worse off than we were at the beginning of the epidemic.” He called on Trudeau to make the quick test widely available and to provide good information about the sources of community spread.
