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HEALTH-VIRUS-CANADA
Coronavirus spreads to all Canadian provinces
OTTAWA, March 16, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – The new coronavirus has spread across
Canada with a total of 313 cases confirmed Sunday in its 10 provinces, the
chief public health officer told a news conference.
Atlantic coast provinces were the last to be hit. Major metropolitan
centres — Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver — remain the most affected.
“I’m asking everyone to take strong action to prevent the spread of the
virus,” chief public health officer Theresa Tam said, warning that a window
of opportunity to mitigate its spread was “quickly narrowing.”
Measures must include, she said, limiting travel and self-isolating for 14
days upon returning from a trip abroad, as well as avoiding large crowds,
practicing “social distancing” and working from home, if possible, over the
coming weeks.
After a meeting of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet, ministers said
to expect more actions to be announced on Monday.
Canada has tested nearly 25,000 people — among the highest per capita
rates in the world. The number of positive test results jumped from a few
dozen just last week, including one death.
“Most of the cases (in Canada) have been linked to travel,” Tam said, “but
that could change very quickly.”
Earlier Trudeau was asked if he was considering closing the border.
“We’ve taken some very strong measures, and we are not taking anything off
the table, we are looking daily at next steps that we might take, or we
shouldn’t take,” Trudeau told broadcaster CTV in an interview from his Ottawa
home where he and his family are self-isolating after his wife Sophie tested
positive for the virus.
The prime minister added, “Sophie’s got a headache right now and feeling a
little under the weather, but it is not worse than what would be a bad cold,”
he said. “Of course we’re all being very careful.”
Tam noted that it was important for every country to “contain the outbreak
within their own setting,” but added that “countries that enacted travel bans
have not been able to keep out this particular virus.”
In fact, she said, some countries that “have been impacted the most have
actually been the ones with the most stringent travel and border measures.”
BSS/AFP/FI/ 0742 hrs