The U.S. Federal Reserve is taking emergency action and slashing its benchmark interest rate by a full percentage point to nearly zero. It's also purchasing more Treasury securities to encourage lending in a bid to offset the impact of the coronavirus outbreak.Ottawa has made 10-billion-dollars available to businesses through a credit facility program. The Bank of Canada earlier cut its trend-setting interest rate by half-a-percentage point to three-quarters of a per cent.

City of Surrey Recreation Centres, Ice Arenas, Pools and Libraries will be closed effective tomorrow (Monday, March 16) until further notice. Mayor Doug McCallum has directed the closure of all City of Surrey Recreation Centres, Ice Arenas, Pools and Libraries to minimize the risk of transmission of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). Full refunds will be provided to anyone who has registered for activities affected by the closure and library due dates will be suspended during this period. “Given the ongoing concerns surrounding COVID-19, I am taking a proactive approach to ensure the health and saf

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Sunday met Governor Lalji Tandon here and said that he is ready for the floor test in the state Assembly and will speak to the Speaker about it."I received Governor's phone call, he called me here to meet him to discuss the smooth functioning of the state Assembly. I told the Governor that I will speak to the Speaker tomorrow. It (floor test) will be decided by Speaker," Nath told reporters after meeting the Governor."I have told the Governor that I am ready for the floor test and the MLAs who have been held captive should be released. I will speak t

There are now 341 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Canada. All 10 provinces report cases either confirmed or presumptive. At a briefing today in Ottawa, Dr. Theresa Tam, the head of the Public Health Agency of Canada, calls the situation “serious”.She says the window for controlling the virus is narrowing.Tam says all the medical officers of health in Canada agree things like travel, and large gathering of 250 people or more must be cancelled.

Public health officials say there are nine new cases of COVID-19 in British Columbia.Dr. Bonnie Henry says the new cases bring the provincial total up to 73.Five cases are connected to a cluster at the Lynn Valley Care Centre, one case is linked to travel from Portugal and the remaining three cases are under investigation.Henry says the province is also adapting its testing strategy, noting more cases are expected in the coming days.She says not everyone needs to get tested, even if they have recently travelled outside of Canada.

The federal government says any Canadian who's abroad should get back home while it's still possible. That's a step up from previous advice, which urged travellers outside the country to think about doing so. Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne tweeted the new recommendation. He warns that commercial travel options might not remain available amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Some countries have already taken measures such as stopping or sharply limiting air traffic.

A 68 year old woman, who had tested positive for COVID-19, died due to co-morbidity, diabetes and hypertension, at a hospital here, said Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry in a statement on Friday. "The death of a 68 year old female from West Delhi (mother of a confirmed case of COVID-19) is confirmed to be caused due to co-morbidity, diabetes and hypertension. She has also tested positive for COVID-19," reads the statement. "She had history of contact with a positive case (her son who had travel history to Switzerland and Italy between 5th to 22nd February, 2020). The son had returned

Alberta is changing labour rules to provide 14 days of paid leave for workers who self-isolate due to the novel coronavirus or are caring for someone who has it. Premier Jason Kenney says employees will not need a doctor's note nor will they have had to work for 90 days previously to qualify. Alberta has announced six new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number in the province to 29. Publicly funded schools, however, will remain open. Deena Hinshaw, chief medical officer of health, says the evidence on whether closing schools is an effective way of limiting the spread is not conclusive.

British Columbia has 11 new cases of COVID-19, all of them in the Vancouver area, bringing the total in the province to 64. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says the new cases also involve an ``additional cluster'' that was reported earlier today at the Lions Gate Hospital in North Vancouver. Three administrative workers at the hospital have tested positive for COVID-19. Vancouver Coastal Health says they are in self-isolation at home and are recovering. Henry says they have not worked in the hospital's clinical areas. There is also another case related to the Lynn Valley Care Centr