Here is the latest news on the COVID-19 global pandemic. This file will be updated throughout the day (all times Eastern):
12:59 p.m.
Dr. Theresa Tam says although children seem to suffer less seriously from COVID-19 than adults, re-opening schools and child-care centres also has to take into account protecting the adults who work in them.
That means that as provinces begin allowing those facilities to reopen, they'll need to impose distancing restrictions and strict cleaning requirements.
Tam says Canada will have the benefit of seeing what happens in other jurisdictions that are ahead of us in the progress of the COVID-19 pandemic.
12:51 p.m.
Prince Edward Island is reporting no new cases of COVID-19 today.
The provincial total remains at 27 cases and 24 of those have recovered.
P.E.I. had just six cases during the month of April.
The Island has started to ease public health restrictions with its Renew PEI Together program, which includes allowing outdoor gatherings of up to five people
12:50 p.m.
Newfoundland and Labrador announced one new positive case of COVID-19 today, bringing the provincial total to 259.
Two-hundred and thirty people have recovered from COVID-19 in the province.
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald, the province’s chief medical officer of health, says she has requested the public health emergency to be extended for 14 more days.
Premier Dwight Ball announced a text line for deaf or hard of hearing residents who need to speak with a nurse in the province.
12:45 p.m.
Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam says despite the pandemic, Canadians should seek whatever treatment and help for any other health concerns they have.
She says physical distancing seems to have worked to bend the curve of COVID-19 cases in the country and public health experts across the country have been impressed by how thoroughly Canadians have followed their advice and orders.
But she says it's also important to get other conditions treated, even if it means consulting a doctor only by phone or online.
She added that everyone needs to eat well, exercise and get enough sleep, despite the stress and limitations imposed by the pandemic.
12:35 p.m.
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland is calling on landlords to show compassion to renters facing difficulty meeting their May 1 deadline because of COVID-19 difficulties.
She says if a tenant has lost income, now is a good time for a landlord to support their neighbours and their country in a time of crisis.
Freeland says it is also a time for banks to be thoughtful about the mortgage payments that landlords must pay.
11:50 a.m.
Nova Scotia is reporting another death related to COVID-19, bringing the province's total to 29. The death occurred at the Northwood long-term care home in Halifax Regional Municipality.
The province is reporting 12 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the provincial total to 959.
There are 10 licensed long-term care homes and unlicensed seniors' facilities in Nova Scotia with cases of COVID-19, involving 237 residents and 105 staff.
Nova Scotia is renewing its state of emergency for another two weeks, to run until May 17.
11:40 a.m.
Justice Minister David Lametti say no one should try to surrender their assault-style guns while physical distancing is in effect to fight COVID-19.
Lametti spoke after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the federal government is banning a range of assault-style guns, with an order that takes effect immediately.
Trudeau also announced a two-year amnesty period for current owners of those guns and said there will be a compensation program that will require a bill passed in Parliament.
11 a.m.
Ontario is reporting 421 new COVID-19 cases today, and 39 more deaths.
The provincial total rose to 16,608 cases, an increase of 2.6 per cent from yesterday.
That total includes 1,121 deaths and 10,825 resolved cases.
Figures on COVID-19's impact in long-term care homes, which come from a separate database than the provincial numbers, show 26 more residents died in the past day.
6:30 a.m.
The C.D. Howe Institute's Business Cycle Council says Canada has entered a recession due to the economic devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a report released today, the council says the economy peaked in February before the steps taken to slow the spread of the coronavirus brought the economy to a standstill.
A commonly used definition for a recession is two consecutive quarters of negative quarter-over-quarter economic growth.
However, the C.D. Howe council defines a recession as a pronounced, persistent, and pervasive decline in aggregate economic activity and it looks at both GDP and employment as its main measures.
The Canadian Press
