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

British Columbia now has 46 cases of COVID-19, including its first one on Vancouver Island. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says seven of the newly diagnosed people include two workers at a long term care home where four other employees have been infected. The North Vancouver facility is also where a man in his 80s died earlier this week. Henry says three of the new cases are linked to Egypt and include a visitor in his 70s whose relatives in the Fraser Valley are now also in isolation. She says the province will put more focus on enhancing prevention of the novel coronavirus at lo

The World Health Organization says COVID-19 is officially a pandemic.WHO director general Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the announcement at a news conference in Geneva, but is urging calm, saying with prevention, preparedness and political leadership it can be managed.He says calling the situation a pandemic doesn't change the organization's assessment of the threat from the illness or what countries should do to prepare and combat it.

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.

Seven additional people in British Columbia have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the provincial total to 39. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says two of the new cases are health care workers at the same long term care facility where a small outbreak has already been identified. A total of eight cases are now linked to the Lynn Valley Care Centre, including two family members or close contacts of a health-care worker. Henry says the initial health-care worker who tested positive at the seniors facility has been admitted to hospital for monitoring, adding that no additional re

Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne confirms there were 228 Canadian passengers and crew from the Grand Princess cruise ship who arrived this morning at CFB Trenton, Ontario.There were 237 Canadians aboard the ship that had multiple cases of the novel coronavirus.Champagne says some stayed in Oakland, California due to unrelated medical conditions and that some of the Canadian crew members who tested positive are still aboard the ship.He didn't say how many of the seven Canadian crew members have been diagnosed with the virus.

British Columbia health officials say a man has died of the new coronavirus at a seniors care home in North Vancouver. The death at Lynn Valley Care Centre is believed to be the first COVID-19 death in Canada. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix announced on the weekend that two elderly residents of the facility had been diagnosed with the virus. Henry says the diagnoses followed an earlier diagnosis of a worker at the care home, making the cases especially concerning as examples of community transmission. The two health officials described the situat

Canada's top public health doctor now recommends Canadians avoid travelling on all cruise ships to protect against the spread of the novel coronavirus.Dr. Theresa Tam previously advised Canadians to think twice about cruises but toughened her warning in a Monday morning news conference.Tam says the ships may voyage to areas with confirmed or undiagnosed cases of the coronavirus and its associated respiratory disease, COVID-19.There are six cases of the virus in Canada linked to a previous voyage of the Grand Princess cruise ship out of San Francisco.Other Canadians, stuck on the ship's curren

Ottawa says it has chartered a plane to bring home Canadians stranded on the Grand Princess cruise ship off the coast of California. Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says Canada made the decision after the U.S. government asked for help. The ship is carrying 3,500 people, including 237 Canadians, and it's expected to dock in Oakland, Calif., tomorrow. U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence announced Friday that at least 21 people aboard the ship, including 19 crew members, have tested positive for the virus. The chartered plane will bring passengers from San Francisco to Canadian F