Ontario schools to shut down for two weeks after March Break

The most recent novel coronavirus information from Canada and all over the world on Thursday:

four.30 p.m. Ontario has seen a surge of 17 new coronavirus virus instances, together with a child boy, within the final day for a complete of 59, 5 of which have recovered and been cleared. Seven of the brand new instances had travelled in america.

At the least 144 individuals in Canada have now examined constructive for COVID-19, together with 46 in B.C., 19 in Alberta, one in Sakatchewan, one in Manitoba, 17 in Quebec and one in New Brunswick.

four:20 p.m.: The NCAA has cancelled all its 2020 championships, together with the boys’s and ladies’s basketball tournaments referred to as March Insanity.

four:08 p.m.: The TSX closed down greater than 1,700 factors or 12.34 per cent because the North American inventory market rout continues. It is a greater drop than the 11.Three-per-ceent fall on Black Monday of 1987.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial common posted its largest loss since 1987, closing down at virtually 10 per cent.

Three:59 p.m.: Ontario colleges will be shut down for two weeks following the March Break to assist battle the unfold of COVID-19.

The unprecedented transfer — believed to be a primary for the province, and nation — begins March 23 and impacts the province’s greater than four,800 colleges and two million college students.

Which means all publicly funded Ontario colleges have been ordered to stay closed from Saturday via to April 5.

Three:11 p.m.: Main League Baseball publicizes that it’s going to delay Opening Day by no less than two weeks over COVID-19 fears. The Blue Jays residence opener was initially alleged to be March 26 in opposition to the Purple Sox. Spring coaching video games have additionally been suspended.

2:29 p.m.: Well being Minister Patty Hajdu says Canadians taking a look at whether or not to journey for March break ought to take into account staying residence.

Talking to reporters earlier than query interval within the Home of Commons, Hajdu mentioned her recommendation to Canadians contemplating journey throughout college spring break is that they need to take into account a “staycation.”

Canadians are being inspired to proceed to examine journey advisories earlier than leaving for any worldwide journeys.

2:16 p.m.: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says the state will ban all gatherings with 500 or extra individuals in an effort to comprise the virus.

Cuomo says the ban will begin for many locations on 5 p.m. Friday. Broadway theatres will likely be affected earlier.

Cuomo mentioned Thursday that venues of beneath 500 individuals can solely be stuffed to half their capability.

The transfer comes after a number of main cultural establishments in New York Metropolis together with the Metropolitan Museum of Artwork, the Metropolitan Opera and Carnegie Corridor introduced they might quickly shut.

2:12 p.m.: Toronto Hearth Chief Matthew Pegg, who’s heading town’s emergency operations centre, says planning has been underway since January. At present taking a look at city-run conferences in opposition to mass gatherings steering and that some could also be postponed, logging on. All non-essential enterprise journey for Metropolis workers is now cancelled.

2:10 p.m.: Eileen de Villa, Toronto medical officer of well being, stresses that those that have been in shut contact with somebody who doesn’t have COVID-19 however who was uncovered to somebody with COVID-19 “don’t require particular public well being followup.” Monitor personal well being and practise good hygiene.

2:05 p.m.: De Villa asking in case you travelled exterior of Canada to fastidiously monitor themselves for 14 days. If they’ve any signs, requested to please keep residence and call public well being. They need to additionally keep away from public occasions and call with aged individuals. Anybody who travelled in Italy, Iran, Hubei province in China requested to self isolate upon return. Canadians being requested to keep away from all cruise ship journey. There have been 29 constructive instances being monitored in Toronto, whereas 4 others are recovered.

2 p.m.: Organizers say Montreal is suspending its annual St. Patrick’s Day parade.

The United Irish Societies of Montreal introduced that the 197th version of the parade is not going to happen as scheduled on March 22 due to COVID-19 issues.

The choice was made along with the Metropolis of Montreal not lengthy after the Quebec authorities banned indoor gatherings involving greater than 250 individuals.

Montreal joins Toronto, New York Metropolis, Chicago, Boston and Dublin in calling off St. Patrick’s Day parades.

1:30 p.m.: The Nationwide Hockey League suspended its season Thursday, following the lead of the NBA and different sports activities leagues in making an attempt to mitigate the lethal unfold of the coronavirus.

The announcement got here simply hours earlier than the Toronto Maple Leafs had been set to host the Nashville Predators and interrupts the season simply weeks earlier than the playoffs had been set to start.

All groups had cancelled practices and morning skates throughout the league on Thursday as commissioner Gary Bettman conferred with homeowners and the NHL Gamers’ Affiliation about subsequent steps.

1:14 p.m.: Manitoba has introduced its first presumptive case of COVID-19 and officers are warning individuals to cease shaking palms, rethink journey plans and rethink attending giant public occasions.

Well being Minister Cameron Friesen mentioned a girl who lately travelled to the Philippines has examined constructive for the novel coronavirus via the provincial lab. The take a look at will now be despatched to the nationwide microbiology lab in Winnipeg.

The lady, who’s in her 40s, self-isolated after returning to Winnipeg and went to a health-care facility sporting a masks a number of days later. She continues to be remoted at residence, Friesen mentioned, including that public well being officers are connecting with individuals she could have contacted since her return.

12:53 p.m.: Conservative management candidate Peter MacKay says he’s suspending all marketing campaign occasions for the foreseeable future because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

12:47 p.m.: Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s communications director examined constructive for the brand new coronavirus, simply days after travelling with Bolsonaro to a gathering with U.S. President Donald Trump in Florida.

An announcement from the president’s communications workplace on Thursday mentioned director Fábio Wajngarten’s take a look at outcomes have come again constructive, and that the presidency is adopting preventive measures to make sure Bolsonaro’s well being.

Wajngarten joined Bolsonaro on a three-day journey to the U.S. and on Saturday was on the Mar-a-Lago resort, the place he posted a photograph of himself posing beside Trump. A video from the occasion additionally confirmed him standing straight behind each presidents as they addressed a crowd.

12:20 p.m.: A breakdown of Ontario’s 17 new instances: 9 in Toronto, two in Peel area, two in Waterloo, one every in Ottawa, Hamilton, Halton and Muskoka. One of many instances is a child boy, who was in shut contact with one other affected person and attended North York Common Hospital in Toronto.

The province says it doesn’t seem that any of the instances had been on account of neighborhood transmission.

The brand new sufferers are in areas throughout southern Ontario, together with Toronto, Peel, Waterloo and Muskoka, and all have been launched into self-isolation.

Among the sufferers had lately travelled to locations together with america, Spain and Puerto Rico.

The province says it has examined greater than four,100 individuals for the virus to date, and the overwhelming majority of the exams have come again detrimental.

12:13 p.m.: Quebec Premier Francois Legault is asking all individuals getting back from journey overseas to self-isolate for 14 days.

The measure will likely be obligatory for all authorities staff.

He’s additionally asking organizers to cancel all indoor occasions attracting crowds of greater than 250 individuals and all different giant gatherings that aren’t thought of important.

12:10 p.m.: Federal NDP Chief Jagmeet Singh publicizes that he has been examined for COVID-19 as a result of he has been unwell. He says his physician doesn’t consider he has signs in step with COVID-19. However he’ll restrict contact with the general public, on physician’s recommendation.

11:59 a.m.: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his spouse are in self-isolation over COVID-19 concerns, which has compelled the cancellation of an in-person assembly of Canada’s first ministers. Sophie Gregoire Trudeau got here down with flu-like signs after getting back from a visit to U.Ok. She is being examined for COVID-19 and her signs have since subsided, the PMO mentioned in a press release Thursday.

11:56 a.m.: Ontario publicizes that there are 17 extra instances of COVID-19, together with a child boy beneath 1 years previous. All are travel-related or had shut contact. There have been four,185 individuals examined thus far, with Three,590 detrimental, 536 beneath investgation and 5 resolved.

11:51 a.m.: Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Well being says the province has its first presumptive case of COVID-19.

The province’s chief medical well being officer, Dr. Saqib Shahab, says the particular person lately travelled to Egypt.

The particular person, who’s about 60, was examined in Saskatoon earlier this month and has been self-isolating at residence.

11:45 a.m.: Halton Area publicizes its second COVID-19 case, an Oakville girl in her 40s who travelled to Colorado. She additionally travelled on WestJet Flight 2644 to Liberia, Costa Rica on March 7 after which returned on WestJet Flight 2643 to Toronto on March 9. Passengers on these flights are urged to self-monitor for signs for 14 days.

11:42 a.m.: Main League Soccer has suspended its season for 30 days over coronavirus issues. Toronto FC has performed two video games this season, profitable as soon as with the opposite ending in a draw.

11:40 a.m.: Toronto’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade has been cancelled amid the COVID-19 outbreak. The town’s St. Patrick’s Parade Society made the announcement this morning.

The occasion had initially been scheduled to happen this Sunday. The cancellation marks an about-face for the society, which had launched a press release on Wednesday saying the parade would go forward.

11:28 a.m.: Concern concerning the financial influence of COVID-19 gripped buyers as North American inventory markets plunged in late-morning buying and selling.

The S&P/TSX composite index was down 1,358.67 factors or practically 10 per cent at 12,911.42.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial common was down 2,zero28.87 factors at 21,524.35. The S&P 500 index was down 210.19 factors at 2,531.19, whereas the Nasdaq composite was down 564.57 factors at 7,387.48.

The Canadian greenback traded for 72.34 cents US in contrast with a mean of 72.75 cents US on Wednesday.

11:25 a.m.: The Juno Awards have been cancelled amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The present, which celebrates Canadian music, was to happen Sunday on the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon.

The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences says the choice was made with enter and steering from provincial tourism and well being authorities.

11 a.m.: Waterloo has two extra COVID-19 instances, Anam Latif of the Waterloo Region Record reports. The primary is a girl in her 60s getting back from a Caribbean cruise, the second is a person in his 40s who returned from Las Vegas. It’s the third confirmed case for Waterloo Area.

11 a.m.: Ontario’s premier says issues over COVID-19 shouldn’t stop individuals from occurring trip for March Break.

Talking at a press convention in Ottawa, Ford mentioned he desires individuals to have time and revel in themselves.

He says the province is monitoring the scenario every day and issues could change, however for now, individuals shouldn’t alter their plans.

The remarks come forward of a primary ministers’ assembly set for later at the moment.

10:40 a.m.: The Philippine president has suspended home journey to and from the Manila space for a month and licensed sweeping quarantines within the area to battle the brand new coronavirus.

President Rodrigo Duterte additionally banned giant gatherings within the metropolis, suspended most authorities work and prolonged the suspension of lessons by a month in new restrictions introduced Thursday in a nationwide TV tackle.

10:07 a.m.: The NHL is advising golf equipment to forgo morning skates and practices.

The league can be advising in opposition to crew conferences, citing what it calls “uncertainty concerning subsequent steps” associated to COVID-19.

The NHL says it plans to make an announcement about the way forward for the season later at the moment.

10:05 a.m.: The Raptors announce that gamers, coaches and travelling workers are all in self-isolation for 14 days. The Toronto Raptors performed the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake Metropolis on Monday night time. On Wednesday night, testing revealed that a Jazz participant, reportedly Rudy Gobert, examined constructive for the COVID-19 virus.

They’re additionally asking followers who got here involved with anybody from the group this week to be further vigilant for indicators of coronavirus. Crew members have made two public appearances since returning to Toronto from Utah.

9:49 p.m.: The TMX Group says market-wide circuit breakers had been tripped to pause buying and selling on the Toronto Inventory Change, TSX Enterprise Change and TSX Alpha.

The pause got here after the S&P/TSX composite index fell greater than 1,000 factors initially of buying and selling.

The S&P 500 dropped about 7 per cent inside the first couple of minutes of Thursday’s buying and selling, steep sufficient to set off an computerized halt to buying and selling on the New York Inventory Change. The index is about to hitch the Dow in coming into a bear market after shedding greater than 20 per cent from its file set final month, and one of many biggest eras in Wall Road’s historical past is crumbling.

9:35 a.m.: Ontario says the province’s first wave of devoted evaluation centres for COVID-19 will open within the subsequent a number of days.

The services will likely be on the Brampton Civic Hospital, The Ottawa Hospital, North York Common Hospital, Mackenzie Well being, Scarborough Well being Community and Trillium Well being Companions.

Extra centres are set to open throughout the province within the coming weeks and will likely be separate areas to guard sufferers in the remainder of the hospital.

The province has additionally accredited new doctor billing codes for phone assessments and is launching a provincewide public schooling marketing campaign with adverts on social media, engines like google, radio and in print.

eight:42 a.m.: The Metropolis of Toronto introduced that it has entered the following section in its ongoing administration of COVID-19, with the implementation of a city-wide activity power.

In a information launch, it says the Emergency Operations Centre is at a Stage One activation, which includes monitoring the scenario right here and all over the world. It coordinates inside efforts on the Metropolis to make sure it meets the wants of residents and companies ought to the activation stage change.

Within the launch, it says the COVID-19 activity power includes key managers from all Metropolis divisions and businesses and are actually located on the centre, planning for numerous responses, together with:

eight:25 a.m.: A spokeswoman for New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs says he is not going to attend the primary ministers assembly at the moment in Ottawa now that his province has reported its first presumptive case of COVID-19.

Spokeswoman Nicolle Carlin mentioned this morning Higgs has determined he should keep in New Brunswick.

On Wednesday, Higgs mentioned the Ottawa assembly needs to be held through teleconference, noting there’s a journey ban for New Brunswick authorities staff on account of the pandemic.

Dr. Jennifer Russell, New Brunswick’s chief medical officer, says well being officers realized Wednesday that a girl between 50 and 60 years previous dwelling within the southeastern space of the province was “minimally symptomatic” after getting back from a visit to France.

New Brunswick is the primary Atlantic province to report a presumptive case of the illness.

eight:21 a.m.: Dow Jones futures are down greater than 1,000 factors as U.S. inventory markets brace for extra losses Thursday after President Donald Trump’s speech on the coronavirus outbreak seemingly did not ease buyers’ issues.

Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Common had been exhibiting a drop of 5 per cent, or 1,194 factors. Futures for the S&P 500 declined 5 per cent, or about 138 factors.

On Wednesday, the Dow dropped 1,464 factors, dragging it 20 per cent under the file set final month and placing the index in a bear market. If the S&P 500 closes down greater than 1 per cent, that will put the index in bear market territory and produce an finish to the longest bull market in U.S. historical past.

Abroad markets suffered steep losses. Most inventory markets in Asia fell greater than three per cent and markets in Europe are seeing declines of six per cent or extra.

eight:06 a.m.: Inmates on the Saskatoon Correctional Centre are being quarantined after an offender claimed to have been beforehand involved with somebody with COVID-19.

The an infection protocol was performed as a precautionary measure. Alberta and B.C. officers confirmed they haven’t recognized the person recognized by the offender as being contaminated, mentioned Noel Busse, Director of Communications for Saskatchewan Ministry of Justice/Corrections and Policing on March 11.

“Till we now have fully dominated out any potential contact between this particular person and COVID-19, we’re endeavor precautionary an infection management measures in our correctional services as crucial.”

Seven inmates had been being transported with the unique offender. Six dwelling areas out of 13 are beneath quarantine on the Saskatoon Correctional Centre.The quarantine impacts 158 offenders.

7:33 a.m.: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was examined for the brand new coronavirus on Thursday after assembly with Cupboard officers who had been uncovered to contaminated individuals and have now been self-quarantined, an official mentioned.

Duterte has no signs of COVID-19 however needed to ensure he’s wholesome and might proceed to interact with the general public, mentioned Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, a former presidential aide who nonetheless accompanies Duterte to official features.

“Contemplating that some Cupboard members we have interaction with recurrently have been uncovered to people who had been examined constructive for COVID-19 … it’s simply prudent for us to take precautionary measures in compliance with the recommendation of our well being officers,” Go mentioned.

7:28 a.m.: Iran mentioned Thursday it had requested for an emergency $5 billion mortgage from the Worldwide Financial Fund to assist battle the unfold of a brand new virus that’s swept throughout the nation, infecting greater than 10,000 individuals and killing tons of.

Iran’s Well being Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour introduced in a now-daily televised information convention that 75 individuals had died previously 24 hours and greater than 1,000 new instances of an infection had been confirmed, pushing the loss of life toll to 429 and confirmed instances to 10,075.

In a tweet Thursday, Iran’s International Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif urged the IMF to “stand on proper aspect of historical past & act responsibly” by releasing the funds via the worldwide lender’s Fast Monetary Instrument. Iran’s Central Financial institution chief Abdolnasser Hemmati mentioned Thursday he made the request for $5 billion final week in a letter to IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva. The IMF has mentioned it stands able to help international locations battling the virus.

7:05 a.m.: The European Union on Thursday lashed out at President Donald Trump’s “unilateral” choice to limit journey from Europe to america over the coronavirus, saying that the sickness doesn’t respect borders.

Trump introduced that every one European journey can be lower off, however U.S. officers later clarified that restrictions would apply solely to most overseas residents who’ve been in Europe’s passport-free journey zone at any level for 14 days previous to their arrival to america.

“The European Union disapproves of the truth that the U.S. choice to impose a journey ban was taken unilaterally and with out session,” EU Council President Charles Michel and Fee President Ursula von der Leyen mentioned in a joint assertion.

“The coronavirus is a worldwide disaster, not restricted to any continent and it requires co-operation quite than unilateral motion,” the 2 mentioned.

5:16 a.m.: A spike in instances within the Persian Gulf states helped push infections within the Center East for the brand new coronavirus previous 10,000 instances on Thursday, with most contaminated individuals both in Iran or having lately travelled there.

Iran has requested for an emergency $5 billion mortgage from the Worldwide Financial Fund to fight the outbreak there, which has killed greater than 360 individuals and contaminated some 9,000 individuals within the Islamic Republic. Iran’s Central Financial institution chief Abdolnasser Hemmati mentioned Thursday he made the request final week in a letter to IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva. The worldwide lender has mentioned it stands able to help international locations via a Fast Monetary Instrument.