The U.S. and Canada have agreed to temporarily close their shared border to nonessential travel, President Donald Trump made that announcement Wednesday on Twitter as the two nations work to stem the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.Trump says the decision will not affect the flow of trade between the countries.Trump writes that ``We will be, by mutual consent, temporarily closing our Northern Border with Canada to non-essential traffic.'' Both countries are eager to choke off the spread of the virus but also maintain their vital economic relationship.Canada relies on the U.S. for 75% of its

Seven Langley firefighters have been directed to stay home after exposure to a person confirmed to have the coronavirus. Chief Stephen Gamble tells CTV Vancouver the exposure occurred several days ago but Langley Fire Rescue was only notified about it yesterday. Gamble says initially eight members of the service were ordered to self isolate but one has since been cleared to return to work. He won't speculate on whether the other seven could have exposed other members of the department or the public to COVID-19 until their test results are back.

ICBC has temporarily suspended all road tests amid the evolving coronavirus pandemic. It also says all customers visiting an ICBC driver licensing office will be asked screening questions for the virus and be asked to go home if they respond yes to any questions. Access to waiting areas is also being limited to ensure appropriate social distancing. ICBC says road tests can be rebooked online and it will reassess whether to resume them in two weeks.

Railways Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday reviewed the progress of preparedness of Indian Railways and the ongoing efforts to prevent the spread of coronavirus. "Had a meeting with General Managers and Divisional Railway Managers and took stock of the preparations and precautionary measures taken by Railways in trains and stations to combat novel coronavirus," Goyal tweeted. A total of 137 positive cases of coronavirus have been reported in India so far and three persons have lost their lives. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic and said that E

There have now been eight COVID-19 deaths in Canada, as BC reports another three fatalities hours after Ontario announced its first death. BC's provincial health officer says six of the deaths stem from a care home in North Vancouver, while a man in his 80s died on Monday in hospital in the Fraser Health region Health officials in Ontario say the 77-year-old man in the Muskoka region was not a confirmed case, but the illness was discovered after his death, the cause of which remains under investigation. BC, Ontario and Alberta have also declared public health emergencies today.

British Columbia is confirming another three deaths due to the COVID-19 pandemic and another 83 cases of the novel coronavirus. BC's total number of cases is now 186. The province is declaring a public health emergency. Alberta and Ontario made similar declarations earlier today.

Passengers are being allowed to remain in their vehicles on the enclosed car decks of vessels operated by BC Ferries because of COVID-19. The ferry service says is relaxing its restriction after Transport Canada and the Canadian Ferry Association agreed to give ferry operators more flexibility to help people keep their social distance. BC Ferries says in a statement that passengers are normally kept off closed car decks to ensure their safety in an emergency. As a result of the temporary change in policy, the ferry service says it will increase patrols on the car decks of its vessels.

Costco says it has had a surge of business since the COVID-19 outbreak, and is going to start controlling the number of customers allowed in its warehouses in response. The company is also reducing some services and is asking customers and employees to practice social distancing in its stores. Limits have been placed on the number of certain items customers are allowed to buy at once and the company is working with suppliers to make sure in-demand items are available. Costco has also stepped up sanitation of its carts, cashes and product shelves.

Alberta is declaring a state of public emergency in reaction to the novel coronavirus. Premier Jason Kenney has announced that any gathering larger than 50 people, including weddings and funerals must be cancelled. Public recreation facilities, casinos, bingo halls, bars, museums and art galleries will also be shuttered if not already. Worship services and conferences also fall under the 50 person rule. Kenney says his government will spend $60 million on charities and non profit groups who are helping people cope with the effects of the virus.