Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam says whether you should be wearing a mask in public depends on what's happening in your community and what you're doing. She says masks are beneficial in areas with community transmission of COVID-19, and in areas where it's difficult to stay away from others. That includes in certain stores and on public transit. But she says mandatory mask rules could disadvantage vulnerable people who can't afford or get access to one. "Canada will use a newly-approved antibody test" Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam says Canada will use a newly-approve

Quebec is reporting 89 new deaths related to COVID-19 today, bringing the toll to 3,220. Premier Francois Legault says the province now has 39,931 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, an increase of 706 cases. Legault says the province continues to miss its testing target of 14,000 tests per day, and is only able to administer 9,000 per day. The premier is once again urging people to wear masks when they leave the house, but says the government won't make wearing them mandatory for now.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says all Canadians should have access to two weeks of sick leave benefits as provinces start moving to reopen their economies. He says they will otherwise face an impossible choice of staying home to protect others from infection or being able to pay their bills. He says the government should cover the sick leave though the Canada Emergency Response Benefit or the employment insurance system. Singh says he will put the proposal forward as a motion in the House of Commons. The federal government declined to include the proposal its unanimous consent motion today, but E

Students and recent graduates will be able to apply for financial relief from the federal government on Friday.The Canada Emergency Student Benefit will provide students $1,250 per month for up to four months, with an extra $750 for students with disabilities or dependents.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says students should preemptively create an account with the Canada Revenue Agency.The federal government is launching the regional relief recovery fund for businesses that don't qualify for other federal relief programs during the COVID-19 crisis.Several weeks ago, the government announced almo

Justin Trudeau says it's still too early for Canada to confront the challenges that will come with reopening the shared border with the United States.The prime minister says with the ban still in effect for another week, he's not ready to announce an extension just yet.A source familiar with the ongoing discussions between the two countries tells The Canadian Press that Canada has requested another 30-day extension to the current ban on non-essential travel.The source, who isn't authorized to share details of the talks publicly, says it will likely be several days before the U.S. formally agr

Health Canada says it has authorized the first COVID-19 serological test for use in the country to detect antibodies specific to the virus.DiaSorin, an Italian multinational biotechnology company, had developed the LIAISON test that was also recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.In a statement Tuesday, Health Canada says it will be used in Canadian laboratories to detect COVID-19 antibodies and help contribute to a better understanding of whether people who have been infected are immune to the virus.Health Canada says further research will also help understand the relation

There are 71,157 confirmed and presumptive cases in Canada. Quebec: 39,225 confirmed (including 3,131 deaths, 10,056 resolved) Ontario: 20,907 confirmed (including 1,725 deaths, 15,391 resolved) Alberta: 6,345 confirmed (including 118 deaths, 4,866 resolved) British Columbia: 2,360 confirmed (including 131 deaths, 1,832 resolved) Nova Scotia: 1,020 confirmed (including 48 deaths, 864 resolved) Saskatchewan: 573 confirmed (including 6 deaths, 374 resolved) Manitoba: 278 confirmed (including 7 deaths, 251 resolved), 12 presumptive Newfoundland and Labrador: 261 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 24

Canada's chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam is advising extreme caution when it comes to reopening the Canada-United States border. She says Canada needs to see what happens when it eases its own public health measures to contain the virus before allowing foreign travel again. It will also depend on the international epidemiology. She says Canada should be looking carefully at the United States' COVID-19 situation before allowing cross-border travel. Next phase will involve testing people with a wider range of potential symptoms Dr. Theresa Tam says the next phase of Canada's COVID-1

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada will be very cautious when it comes to reopening international travel. He would not say whether he expects the Canada-U.S. border to reopen when a mutual ban on non-essential travel expires next week. But rather he says preventing transmission of COVID-19 into Canada from other countries will be an essential part of preventing a second wave of the outbreak. He says Canada will need to see a decrease in the number of new cases in the country, and will need to have the ability to detect and track new cases.