It's about way more than flattening the curve. That from the nation's top physician, who wants Canadians to harden their resolve and make every effort to stop the spread of COVID-19. Theresa Tam says the case count is expected to continue to rise and efforts at social distancing need to continue. The effort is underway to make sure there isn't a sudden sharp increase in the number of cases, so the spread of the virus is slowed over time. Public health experts call it ''flattening the curve.'' Tam is calling for Canadians to not just flatten the curve but her words ''plank it.''

Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne is self-isolating as he awaits the results of a test for COVID-19. Champagne says he was experiencing flu like symptoms following a trip. He says he's being tested ''out of an abundance of caution'' and is in self-isolation at home.

British Columbia has recorded an eighth death from COVID-19 as the number of infections climbs to 271 cases. Health Minister Adrian Dix says the latest death is a man who was a resident of the Lynn Valley Care Centre in North Vancouver, where six others have died. The province also announced 40 new cases today. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says the majority of cases are in the Vancouver Coastal and Fraser health regions. She says precautions everyone must take to protect each other are ``not optional'' but that maintaining social distance must come with keeping a social connecti

Alberta has recorded its first death from COVID-19. Chief medical officer Dr. Deena Hinshaw says the man who died was in his 60s and had underlying health conditions. She says it appears he contracted the virus in the community and not through travel. Alberta is reporting 27 new cases of the infection for a total of 146. Alberta is the fourth province to record a death. British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec have all had people die from COVID-19.

The federal government is suspending its passport services until further notice. Canadians will only be able to obtain or renew passports if they need to travel for urgent reasons. This includes serious illness, the death of friend or family member, humanitarian work or would otherwise lose a job or business. Service Canada says anyone who does not meet the criteria for urgent travel, or is experiencing symptoms such as a fever, coughing, having trouble breathing, will have to wait. So would anyone who is in self-isolation. Social Development Minister Ahmed Hussen says that with travel restri

There are 871 confirmed and presumptive cases in Canada. British Columbia: 271 confirmed (including 8 deaths, 5 resolved) Ontario: 257 confirmed (including 2 deaths, 5 resolved) Alberta: 146 confirmed (including 1death) Quebec: 121 confirmed (including 1 death) Saskatchewan: 8 confirmed, 12 presumptive Manitoba: 9 confirmed, 8 presumptive Nova Scotia: 5 confirmed, 9 presumptive New Brunswick: 2 confirmed, 9 presumptive Canadians quarantined at CFB Trenton: 9 confirmed Newfoundland and Labrador: 1 confirmed, 2 presumptive Prince Edward Island: 2 confirmed The Territories: No confirmed cases Tot

Italy has surpassed China as the country with the most coronavirus related deaths. Officials in Rome say 3,405 people in the country have died of COVID-19. That's as the epicentre of the pandemic, Wuhan, China, recorded no new infections. Italy has recorded 41,035 infections, more than half of the world's positive cases.

The Toronto Transit Commission says one of their employees has tested positive for COVID-19. The agency says the employee worked at a TTC maintenance workshop for buses. It says between 130 and 170 employees are in self-isolation as a result. The TTC says the employee worked one shift on March 11 after returning from vacation.

There have now been 10 COVID-19 related deaths in the country.The Halton Region Public Health unit west of Toronto reports a man in his 50s with an underlying health condition died after receiving treatment at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital and Milton District Hospital.Two of the 10 deaths have been in Ontario while the others have been in British Columbia.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says it could be weeks or even months before the government will be able to lift measures designed to slow the spread of the virus.