Coronavirus: What's happening across Canada on Friday
Alberta giving out millions of non-medical masks to residents at no cost
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Quebec and Ontario both reported hundreds of new coronavirus cases on Friday as the number of reported cases nationwide topped 89,000 and the death toll passed 7,000.
Quebec reported 530 new cases on Friday while Ontario had 344 new cases.
Of the other provinces and territories, only Alberta has new cases in the double digits, with 24.
As of 6:56 p.m. ET Friday, Canada had 89,416 confirmed and presumptive coronavirus cases, with 47,531 of them considered recovered or resolved. A CBC News tally of deaths based on provincial data, regional information and CBC's reporting stood at 7,046.
New Brunswick, which has been ahead of most other provinces in its reopening given its relatively low case numbers, announced a new outbreak this week in the Campbellton area, a community in the province's north that borders Quebec.
Dr. Jennifer Russell, the province's chief medical officer of health, said there are a total of eight cases. Two of the eight cases are in intensive care, and Russell said Friday that their condition is considered stable at the moment.
The cases include a long-term care worker who worked at a special care home in the neighbouring village of Atholville. About 100 people, including 57 residents, may have been exposed by that worker, the home's owner says.
WATCH | N.B.'s chief medical officer of health responds to new cluster of COVID-19 cases:
Russell said over the next four to five days, teams will be doing "a lot" of testing.
Russell urged people to be patient and understanding as public health officials work to trace contacts and complete tests. The Campbellton region has been pushed back a level in terms of reopening, which has meant some businesses that were getting ready to open their doors will now wait at least another week.
"We want people to be aware that as long as COVID-19 exists on the planet and until there's a vaccine that we really do have to understand that it will be challenging, no matter what."
N.B. Premier <a href="https://twitter.com/BlaineHiggs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BlaineHiggs</a> says it is "prudent" to postpone the province's next reopening phase, until officials can determine just how many people may have been exposed to COVID-19 by a medical professional who failed to self-isolate after returning from Quebec. <a href="https://t.co/xATvgE1rUs">pic.twitter.com/xATvgE1rUs</a>
—@PnPCBC
The doctor linked to the start of the outbreak, who may have exposed at least 150 other people to the coronavirus, has been suspended, the president and CEO of the Vitalité Health Network has confirmed.
The doctor, who is in his 50s, caught the virus when he recently travelled to Quebec. He then returned to work at the Campbellton Regional Hospital without self-isolating for the mandatory 14 days.
Here's what's happening in the provinces and territories
British Columbia this week has had the lowest number of deaths and new cases since a public health emergency was declared on March 18. In the past seven days, there has been a total of 56 new cases, including four announced on Friday. Read more about what's happening in B.C.
Alberta has ordered 20 million non-medical masks and plans to distribute them to residents, offering up to four masks per person at no cost. McDonald's, Tim Hortons and A&W restaurants have partnered with the province to distribute the masks at drive-thrus. The province reported 24 new cases of coronavirus Friday, but no new deaths. There are 616 active cases in province, with 55 people in hospital, four of them in intensive care. Read more about what's happening in Alberta.
Saskatchewan reported two more coronavirus cases on Friday, one in the south and one in the Saskatoon area. The province has 61 active cases. Read more about what's happening in Saskatchewan.
WATCH | An infectious disease specialist answers questions about COVID-19, including whether someone who has recovered can stop physical distancing:
Manitoba reported that two new cases announced Thursday are related to out-of-province travel. No new cases were announced on Friday. Read more about what's happening in Manitoba.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he's considering a regional phased approach to reopening the province, an approach he had previously resisted. Ford said that the province's expanded testing guidelines, released Friday morning, will help public health officials better understand trends and hot spots. The new strategy will focus on communities with relatively high numbers of cases and certain high-risk workplaces while also boosting Ontario's contact-tracing work. Read more about what's happening in Ontario.
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WATCH | Lack of data hampers Ontario's fight against COVID-19:
Quebec reached a grim milestone Friday, surpassing 50,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, nearly 60 per cent of all confirmed cases in Canada. Read more about what's happening in Quebec.
In New Brunswick, Premier Blaine Higgs is hoping any reopening of the border with Maine will be delayed. Higgs raised his concerns on a federal call Thursday night, where he and other premiers learned the border might be reopened soon for people in communities next to them. Higgs said the reopening for border friends and families could come in the next few weeks or even days. Read more about what's happening in N.B.
Nova Scotia reported no new cases and one new recovery on Friday, bringing its case total to 1,055, with 978 considered resolved. It's the first day with no new cases since March.The province has reported 59 deaths to date, with most linked back to the Northwood long-term care home in Halifax. Read more about what's happening in N.S.
In Prince Edward Island, Health Minister James Aylward said more than 1,100 surgeries have been delayed because of COVID-19. The surgeries, which included almost 500 eye surgeries, were all postponed during the 10-week period in which elective surgeries were put on hold. Read more about what's happening on P.E.I., which again reported no new cases on Friday.
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Newfoundland and Labrador will allow people to expand their household bubbles, officials said Friday. The government first allowed for bubbles of two households on April 30. Now households can expand their bubbles by up to six more people. New members of a bubble do not have to be from the same household, but cannot be changed once decided. The province, which announced a new COVID-19 case related to travel on Thursday, had no new cases on Friday. Read more about what's happening in N.L.
Yukon health officials say the territory is on track to allow people in July to travel freely between the territory and neighbouring B.C. That means anybody arriving in Yukon from B.C. would no longer need to self-isolate for 14 days. Read more about what's happening across the North.
Here's what's happening around the world
WATCH | Italians nervous as regional borders reopen:
- New Zealand nears coronavirus eradication, but virus has grim global hold
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Pandemic slowed U.S. immigration to a trickle before Trump ordered a freeze
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Number of Americans on jobless benefits inches down for 1st time since pandemic began
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Fear of coronavirus alone not sufficient to vote by mail, Texas Supreme Court rules
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Iconic sites stay shut as France lifts lockdown restrictions
With files from The Canadian Press