Here are the latest local, regional and national headlines on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) for Thursday, May 21, 2020:
- There have been 23,774 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across Ontario, an increase of 390 cases (or 1.7 per cent) from the previous day. There are 18,190 people recovered from the virus while 1,962 people have died. The number of Ontario people tested is 567,176 of which 4,444 have pending results.
- Canada’s coronavirus case total is 80,102. The country has 6,030 deaths from the virus – 149 in British Columbia, 128 in Alberta, six in Saskatchewan, seven in Manitoba, 1,962 in Ontario, 3,718 in Quebec, three in Newfoundland & Labrador and 57 in Nova Scotia.
- Another half dozen cases were resolved in the Eastern Ontario Health Unit region Wednesday, bringing the total number of recoveries to 80. The number of confirmed cases and deaths remain the same at 141 and 10. The breakdown of cases is 15 in Cornwall (14 resolved), 21 in SD&G (20 resolved) and 105 in Prescott-Russell (46 resolved). There are three people in hospital, two of those are in ICU. The number of tests jumped from 3,751 to 7,027 in the EOHU region, as the pool of widespread testing swabs of long term care homes was added to the statistics. One institutional outbreak has been resolved, leaving the number of active outbreaks at two.
- The Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit had another death in a regional long term care home, bringing the total to 49 victims from coronavirus. Another positive case was added Wednesday, bringing the total of confirmed cases to 336.
- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he’s wearing a mask when outside his home when he can’t be two meters (six feet) away from others at all times. It follows the guidance of federal and provincial health officials that people wear non-medical face coverings.
- The City of Ottawa has cancelled all large festivals and special events through August 31 based on advice from health officials.
- Applications open May 25 for the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance program. The program will cover half of small business rent if landlords agree to absorb 25 per cent while the business pays the other 25 per cent.
- Large companies can now apply for bridge financing through the Large Employer Emergency Financing Facility. It’s open to business which have at least $300 million in annual revenues.
- The commissioner of the Canadian Football League says the earliest the season could start is September and there’s no guarantee for a November Grey Cup in Regina. Cancelling the entire season is also on the table.
Have a story or news release related to COVID-19? Send it along for possible inclusion in a future digest on Cornwall Newswatch. Email editor@cornwallnewswatch.com. Please put “COVID-19 Digest” in the subject line.