Thread by @Hits93Toronto

This hour we’re expecting press briefings from numerous different provinces regarding the coronavirus outbreak, including:

- P.E.I., at 12:25 p.m.
- Quebec, at 12:55 p.m.
- Ontario, at 12:55 p.m.
- New Brunswick, 1:25 p.m.
- Nova Scotia, 1:55 p.m.

Others to be announced soon.

Some news from PEI, the premier has issued a statement re CBC’s decision to suspend local programming, including their local program.

“I am incredibly disappointed in the [CBC’s] decision to suspend local news broadcasts across the country,” King said.

princeedwardisland.ca/en/news/statem…

WATCH LIVE: Dr. Morrison, PEI’s Chief Medical Officer, is speaking right now — and giving the public an update on the situation in the province.

gem.cbc.ca/live/171275270…

Dr. Morrison says that all liquor stores across the province of PEI will close tomorrow. However, more details will be released soon.

Ontario Premier Ford has just announced he will be holding a media availability or news conference at 2:00 p.m. ET.

The City of Toronto will provide an update of the current situation — and its response — to the coronavirus outbreak in the city at 3:45 p.m. ET.

Ontario health officials have found more than 20 new coronavirus infections in the province, up from 13 on Tuesday, bringing the provincial total including recoveries to 211.

cp24.com/mobile/news/on…

WATCH LIVE: The World Health Organization (WHO) is giving a press briefing on the coronavirus right now.

gem.cbc.ca/live/171269229…

WATCH LIVE: Québec’s Premier Legault holds a press briefing, announcing major news that the province is reporting its first death related to the coronavirus — and now 94 cases of the virus.

gem.cbc.ca/live/171276038…

Québec’s Premier Legault has announced the first death in the province was an elderly person in the Lanaudière region.

Legault said there are now 94 confirmed cases in the province. Of those, four people are in intensive care at a hospital.

cbc.ca/news/canada/mo…

With Québec’s report of one death due to the coronavirus outbreak, Canada’s death toll has increased to nine country wide, with one in Ontario and Québec, and seven in British Columbia.

More to come...

Newfoundland and Labrador to hold a press briefing on the coronavirus outbreak in the province at 1:55 p.m.
ET.

The Yukon will be holding a press briefing on the coronavirus at 2:25 p.m. ET.

WATCH LIVE: New Brunswick’s public health officials are briefing the public on the current coronavirus situation in the province.

gem.cbc.ca/live/171275065…

The City of Edmonton — and Mayor Iveson — will be holding a press briefing at 1:55 p.m. ET.

NOTE: All local CBC broadcasts across Canada are showing live coverage from CBC News Network regarding the coronavirus situation.

You can watch those broadcasts, alongside CBC News Network, for free on CBC Gem or on TV.

gem.cbc.ca

WATCH LIVE: Officials in Nova Scotia to provide a live briefing to the province on the coronavirus outbreak.

gem.cbc.ca/live/171277421…

Three new cases of coronavirus have been diagnosed in the past 24 hours, bringing New Brunswick’s total to 11, the chief medical officer of health said.

cbc.ca/news/canada/ne…

WATCH LIVE: Ontario Premier Ford is speaking now regarding the province’s efforts to stop the spread of coronavirus.

toronto.citynews.ca/video/2017/03/…

Premier Ford says that he wants to thank those who are stemming the spread of coronavirus in the province, such as the health care workers on the front lines.

Fords says he spoke with Deputy Prime Minister Freeland — and U.S. Trade Representative Amb. Lighthizer — to discuss plans to close the border with the Americans, saying he was assured trade and commerce between the two countries would continue.

“I know it was a tough decision, but it was the right decision,” says Ford, referring to the decision by Prime Minister Trudeau and U.S. Pres. Trump to close the US-Canada border.

Ford says he spoke with the Prime Minister and told him, “It was the right decision on the border.” He also told the PM that he was “very pleased to see the federal government stepping up in a big, big way.”

Ford calls on the government o introduce immediate changes to the employment insurance program — and expand eligibility to include those who are impacted by the coronavirus outbreak.

Ford also thanks the PM for the introduction of new financial relief — and E.I. reforms — for protecting workers and businesses.

Ford adds, “We expect these programs to provide relief as quickly as possible to Ontario and Canadians families and workers, especially those who are now without a job.”

Ford says the government is sparing no expense, with the initial $304 relief package announce yesterday, which will allow the province to add more hospital beds — and stop the spread of coronavirus — through more testing workers and adding more testing capacity to the system.

Ford says he’s working on adding 25 dedicated coronavirus testing centres across the province to alleviate the pressures placed on hospitals — and boost the province’s testing capacity.

“We’ve expanded our testing capacity — we’re conducting 2,000 COVID-19 tests a day.”

Ford thanks the business community for embracing the heart of “Ontario spirit.”

Ontario will introduce legislation tomorrow to provide “job-protective leave to workers with symptoms of COVID-19 or who have been asked to self-isolate.”

As we reported earlier, non-essential businesses — liquor and cannabis stores — will close in PEI beginning tomorrow at 2:00 p.m.

cbc.ca/news/canada/pr…

According to Nova Scotia’s news release, the 12 affected people — both confirmed and presumptive coronavirus cases totalled together — range in age from their early 30s to mid-70s. And all are in self-isolation and recovering at home.

cbc.ca/news/canada/no…

According to the Minister of Health and Social Services, Diane Thom, of the Northwest Territories, the public health emergency is in effect from March 18 to April 1.

The N.W.T. has no confirmed cases of coronavirus, as of a Wednesday morning.

cbc.ca/news/canada/no…

Edmonton has decided not to declare a local state of emergency but could revisit that with one hour's notice, the mayor said following Wednedsay's meeting of the emergency advisory committee regarding the coronavirus outbreak there.

cbc.ca/news/canada/ed…

Newfoundland and Labrador has declared a public health emergency, with punishment possible for offenders.

The Public Health and Promotion Act, passed in 2018, gives health officials the authority to restrict rights and freedoms in a time of crisis.

cbc.ca/news/canada/ne…

WATCH LIVE: Yukon officials have declared a public health emergency, related to the coronavirus pandemic. cbc.ca/news/canada/no…

News conferences to come from across the country:

- British Columbia’s Public Safety Minister, at 3:10 p.m. ET
- Toronto’s Chief Medical Officer, at 3:40 p.m. ET
- Saskatchewan’s Medical Health Officer, at 4:25 p.m. ET
- British Columbia’s Health Officer, at 5:55 p.m. ET

WATCH LIVE: Ontario public health officials provide an update on the coronavirus outbreak in the province.

toronto.citynews.ca/video/2019/07/…

Ontario now has 212 cases of coronavirus, with five recovered and one dead; 10,000 have been tested — and over 3,000 are still under investigation — as of this morning.

Ontario will soon be able to test 5,000 people per day, according to Dr. Yaffe.

cp24.com/news/ontario-r…

Saskatchewan says they have eight new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number of cases to 16 provincially.

In good news, 15 of those cases are well enough to self-isolate at home, according to Sask.’s latest press release.

cbc.ca/news/canada/sa…

WATCH LIVE: Public Safety Minister Farnworth has declared a provincial state of emergency in the province of British Columbia to ensure provincial and federal resources are delivered jointly in an "all hands on deck" approach to deal with coronavirus.

cbc.ca/news/canada/br…

WATCH LIVE: City of Toronto officials provide an update on their coronavirus response in the city, with more details expected relating to what the city is doing to help protect its residents and employees from the virus.

toronto.citynews.ca/video/2018/06/…

BREAKING: Toronto Public Health is monitoring 102 positive cases of coronavirus in Toronto, according to the latest tally done by city officials.

Toronto has scaled back and/or modified the delivery of all non-essential services and closed many facilities until April 5th.

The City of Toronto has cancelled most city-operated programs and closed a number of facilities due to the coronavirus outbreak. However, services and facility operations are tentatively scheduled to resume on April 5th.

toronto.ca/home/covid-19/…

There are 11 cases in the city that are under investigation for possible local transmission, Toronto's medical officer of health says.

WATCH LIVE: Saskatchewan has declared a state of emergency after reporting eight new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number of cases to 16.

cbc.ca/news/canada/sa…

Funny note: My mother, who’s self-isolating at home, saw a replay of Morneau speaking regarding the aid package that the federal government has proposed. And she fell asleep earlier, so she thought he’d been talking for four hours. “Jesus, what more does this guy have to say?”

Provincial officials said coronavirus test results were pending for 3,379 people as of mid-day Wednesday – about double the amount of pending cases the day before.

toronto.citynews.ca/2020/03/18/ont…

WATCH LIVE: B.C. health officials to provide coronavirus update, with Dr. Henry leading the charge at this press conference.

gem.cbc.ca/live/171284025…

A temporary $200 per week allowance for people whose hours have been cut but continue to work — and are not self-employed — was announced for PEI residents, alongside some other actions to help alleviate some of the economic coronavirus pressures.

cbc.ca/news/canada/pr…

Among the new cases of coronavirus announced is a resident of Haro Park Centre, a long term care home in Vancouver.

vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/mobile/b-c-ann…

The additional presumptive cases of coronavirus in Manitoba involve:

- Case 16: A woman in her 50s from Winnipeg
- Case 17: A man in his 70s from Winnipeg

cbc.ca/news/canada/ma…

WATCH LIVE: "The history of this province is often one of struggling and emerging, of overcoming adversity," Premier Kenney told the Alberta legislature. "It is a time for us, to the greatest extent possible, to come together for one another."

cbc.ca/news/canada/ed…

Dr. Deena Hinshsaw, the province's chief medical officer of health, updated Albertans on the health-care crisis — the number of coronavirus cases in the province grew from one on March 5 to 119 in less than two weeks — on Wednesday.

cbc.ca/news/canada/ed…