Month: March 2020

The doctor played down the severity of the coronavirus outbreak and suggested that Italians were making the most of it Ciro Immobile has taken to Instagram to slam British celebrity doctor Christian Jessen for claiming that Italians are using coronavirus as an excuse to take “a long siesta”. The Lazio striker was left infuriated by…

Credit-rating plan on the ropes Opposition to Barnier’s planned ‘rotation rule’. European Voice By Ian Wishart 4/3/12, 9:10 PM CET Updated 4/12/14, 11:02 PM CET One of the most significant parts of the European Commission’s proposal to clamp down on the credit-rating industry could be scrapped after some finance ministers warned that it may be…

Quebec’s government has issued an unprecedented directive for all non-essential services to close their businesses. “In other countries (the number) was exponential. It could be exponential here,” Premier Francois Legault said on Sunday. “What we are doing will save lives.” Most recreational spaces in the province, including movie theatres, arcades, waterparks, ski hills, bars and…

MONTREAL — The Canadian government’s new directive to avoid all non-essential international travel has customers who had booked a trip prior to the COVID-19 pandemic scrambling to cancel or reschedule flights — and running into plenty of wait times. Many airlines, including Air Canada, WestJet, Air Transat and Sunwing, have announced “flexibility policies” to allow…

Travellers passing through Toronto’s Pearson International Airport trying to get home during the COVID-19 pandemic aren’t impressed with the measures being taken to reduce chances of the disease spreading. The airport’s website has said travellers passing through will be asked whether they are travelling from high-risk countries like China, Iran and Italy. Travellers who are…

TORONTO — The Ontario government will close all publicly funded schools until April 5 in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.  Schools will not re-open for two weeks following March break as a “precautionary measure,” Education Minister Stephen Lecce said Thursday. “As we head into March break, it is clear that there will be increased travel and…

The growing number of COVID-19 cases in Canada prompted a wave of restrictions aimed at protecting seniors on Saturday as officials made more insistent calls for travellers to return home without delay. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, meanwhile, announced he held a phone call with President Donald Trump following a news conference in which U.S. officials…

Canadian researchers are making multiple breakthroughs in the fight against COVID-19, as a biotech firm take the firsts steps towards a vaccine and a hospital in Ottawa opened a drive-thru screening centre. Quebec City-based Medicago said it has taken the first step towards a vaccine by producing a virus-like particle of the novel coronavirus. The…

OTTAWA — The federal government is retooling messaging for travellers arriving in Canada amid criticism that it’s not doing enough to ensure thousands of people entering the country don’t drive a national spike in COVID-19 cases. But even as border officials are updating signs and pamphlets in order to ensure everyone coming in goes into…

Ottawa’s plans to respond to possible COVID-19 outbreaks in remote, fly-in and already vulnerable Indigenous communities are getting a failing grade from opposition politicians who say they display a troubling misunderstanding of the needs and conditions in these areas. Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller told a legislative committee Thursday that Ottawa is preparing to help…