Health

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union is assessing Beijing's rollback of its strict anti-infection controls but refrained Thursday from immediately following EU member Italy in requiring coronavirus tests for airline passengers coming from China.

CLINTON, ONT. — A hospital in southwestern Ontario says it will close its emergency department overnight Thursday, the latest in a number of recent temporary ER and urgent care centre closures in the province.

The U.S. announced new COVID-19 testing requirements Wednesday for all travelers from China, joining other nations imposing restrictions because of a surge of infections.

BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, an anti-Trump Republican who easily won reelection four years ago, learned his earliest political lessons listening to his Democratic mother and Republican father hashing out the issues of the day.

WHITEHORSE — Yukon is permanently expanding the power of pharmacists to assess patients and prescribe medication for common and minor ailments.

BEIJING (AP) — China says it will resume issuing passports for tourism in another big step away from anti-virus controls that isolated the country for almost three years, setting up a potential flood of Chinese going abroad for next month’s Lunar New

OTTAWA — The national public health agency says it's "closely monitoring" the COVID-19 situation in China, but gives no indication it's planning to follow the U.S. by requiring that travellers from China be tested for the virus.

As of Jan. 1 pharmacists in Ontario will be allowed to prescribe treatments for 13 common conditions, but that doesn't mean they'll all be ready to do it.

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong will scrap some of its COVID-19 restrictions, including PCR tests for inbound travelers and vaccination requirements to enter certain venues, the city’s leader said Wednesday.

OTTAWA — Canadians who were caught violating federal COVID-19 quarantine rules racked up at least $15 million in fines this year, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada, but it's not clear how much of that will actually be paid.