Health Minister Patty Hajdu says Canadians looking at whether to travel for March break should consider staying home. Speaking to reporters before question period in the House of Commons today, Hajdu said her advice to Canadians considering travel during school spring break is that they should consider a ``staycation.'' Canadians are being encouraged to continue to check travel advisories before leaving for any international trips.

A daycare in a downtown Calgary office tower has closed after a child tested positive for COVID-19.Suncor Energy spokeswoman Erin Rees says the Pump-Kin Patch Child Care Centre is closed until March 23.She says families of children there have been told to self-quarantine until March 20.Suncor doesn't operate the daycare but the centre is located in Suncor's office building, and Rees says many employees have children that attend.She says the company is responding to the pandemic by cleaning more often, restricting business travel to high-risk areas and preparing for remote working.As of Wednesd

Justin Trudeau and his wife Sofie Trudeau are in self-isolation after she exhibited flu-like symptoms on her return from London, U.K. The First Leaders meeting scheduled to begin today has been cancelled after this announcement. Trudeau was supposed to meet the premiers and indigenous leaders in Ottawa today for a two-day meeting to discuss various issues including COVID-19, national unity and financial crisis. Prime Minister Trudeau is not exhibiting any symptoms as of now and is isolating himself just for precaution as Sofie Trudeau awaits her test results.NDP leader Jagmeet Singh also tweet

The number of cases of the novel coronavirus continues to climb, as New Brunswick reports its first presumptive case. Canada's total now stands at 117. Meantime, a second federal cabinet minister has been tested for COVID-19 and is self-isolating as she waits for results. Minister of small business and international trade Mary Ng says she thinks she's suffering from asthma and a cold, but has been tested as a precaution. Natural Resources Minister Seamus O'Regan is also staying home while he waits for COVID-19 test results.

Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says politicians need to follow the same advice as anybody else to stop the spread of the virus that causes the COVID-19 illness. Handshakes are out, handwashing is in, and avoiding needless contact with others is key. Champagne was supposed to travel to Pittsburgh for a meeting of G7 foreign ministers later this month, but the U.S. State Department says today that the gathering will be held by video conference instead. Natural Resources Minister Seamus O'Regan is awaiting the results of a test for COVID-19 after going to a doctor with what

The world figure skating championships in Montreal have been cancelled because of the spread of COVID-19. The championships were scheduled to run March 18 to 22 at the Bell Centre. It is the latest sporting event that has been wiped out by the novel coronavirus. The world women's hockey championship, which was scheduled to start later this month in Nova Scotia, was cancelled on Saturday. The other major winter world championship event in Canada remains on schedule. The women's world curling championship is to start Saturday in Prince George, B.C.

Health Minister Patty Hajdu says the Liberals one billion dollar package to mitigate impacts of the spread of COVID-19 is aimed at finding the balance between keeping the country ready, and also functioning. She says a decision to make it easier for people forced to stay home due to the illness to collect unemployment insurance was rolled out for that reason. The money announced by the Liberals will also be spent on purchasing medical supplies for front line workers, research towards a vaccine for the virus and bolstering provincial and territorial health care responses. The Liberals' package

Finance minister Bill Morneau has set a date,30th March,for the next federal Budget. He made the announcement in the Commons this afternoon. Morneau says the budget will recognize real challenges in the economy, a reference to things like the new coronavirus and low oil prices.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the government is creating a one billion dollar COVID-19 response fund. He says he wants all premiers and Canadians to know that the government will make sure they have everything they need to keep everyone safe.Trudeau says the government is also waiving the current one-week waiting period for employment insurance. He says ``we get it and we're on it.''Trudeau says today's announcement is significant, but that the government is prepared to do more if need be.