Air Transat says it has temporarily laid off about 3,600 staff including all flight crew personnel.That's about 70 % of its workforce in Canada.The company says the final Air Transat flight prior to the full suspension of its operations is scheduled for April 1st.Non-essential travel around the world has come to a near standstill as governments close borders in an effort to slow the COVID-19 pandemic.

The latest numbers of confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases in Canada as of 8.42a.m. on March 23, 2020: There are 1563 confirmed and presumptive cases in Canada. British Columbia: 424 confirmed (including 10 deaths, 6 resolved)Ontario: 503 confirmed (including 6 deaths, 8 resolved)Alberta: 259 confirmed (including 1 death)Quebec: 219 confirmed (including 4 deaths, 1 resolved)Saskatchewan: 33 confirmed, 19 presumptiveNova Scotia: 41 confirmedManitoba: 11 confirmed, 9 presumptiveNew Brunswick: 8 confirmed, 9 presumptiveCanadians quarantined at CFB Trenton: 13 confirmedNewfoundland and Labrado

British Columbia's provincial health officer says there are 74 new cases of COVID-19 in the province, bringing the total to 424. Dr. Bonnie Henry says there are 27 people in hospital, 12 of whom are in intensive care. Six people have recovered. She says there has also been another death associated with the Lynn Valley long-term care home in North Vancouver. Henry says the province is ordering all personal service establishments to close, including salons, spas, and massage and tattoo parlours.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says lock downs in other countries and air-space restrictions due to COVID-19 mean Canada won't be able to get every citizen home who is trapped abroad. Trudeau is urging Canadians currently stuck in foreign countries to make safe decisions, stay in touch with Global Affairs and not head to airports unless they have a confirmed seat on a flight back. Trudeau says the federal government is working with airlines to arrange flights to countries where Canadians are. An Air Canada flight bringing a group of Canadians home from Morocco is expected to land in Montreal to

British Columbia still has the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the country. Health Minister Adrian Dix is reporting 77 new cases bringing the total to 348. That surpasses the 318 being reported in Ontario today. Dix says 22 patients are in acute care and the province will spare no effort to ensure it has the equipment in place to protect health care and other essential workers. BC's provincial health officer is ordering restaurants to cease all operations except take out and delivery to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. Dr. Bonnie Henry says she decided on the order because it's cl

There are 1,085 confirmed and presumptive cases in Canada. British Columbia: 348 confirmed (including 8 deaths, 5 resolved) Ontario: 318 confirmed (including 2 deaths, 5 resolved) Alberta: 195 confirmed (including 1 death) Quebec: 139 confirmed (including 1 death, 1 resolved) Saskatchewan: 8 confirmed, 18 presumptive Manitoba: 9 confirmed, 8 presumptive Nova Scotia: 5 confirmed, 10 presumptive New Brunswick: 7 confirmed, 4 presumptive Canadians quarantined at CFB Trenton: 10 confirmed Newfoundland and Labrador: 3 confirmed, 1 presumptive Prince Edward Island: 2 confirmed The Territories: No c

The federal government is unveiling a plan to have companies quickly produce supplies of needed medical equipment to cope with the rapidly multiplying cases of COVID-19 across Canada.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the plan will provide support to manufacturers that want to retool their assembly lines to build ventilators, masks and other personal protective gear.And it will also help those already producing the products to quickly scale up.Ottawa has been working in close collaboration with provinces and territories, who deliver health care, to determine where gaps exist in the system and

A union official says Air Canada is laying off more than 5,000 flight attendants as the country's largest airline cuts routes and parks planes due to COVID-19.Wesley Lesosky, who heads the Air Canada component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), says Air Canada is laying off 3,600 mainline flight attendants as well as all of Air Canada Rouge's 1,549 flight attendants.The layoffs are set to take effect by next month.Air Canada announced Wednesday it will suspend the majority of its international and American flights by the end of the month.Its stock has plummeted 76 per cent in t

British Columbia has recorded an eighth death from COVID-19 as the number of infections climbs to 271 cases. Health Minister Adrian Dix says the latest death is a man who was a resident of the Lynn Valley Care Centre in North Vancouver, where six others have died. The province also announced 40 new cases today. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says the majority of cases are in the Vancouver Coastal and Fraser health regions. She says precautions everyone must take to protect each other are ``not optional'' but that maintaining social distance must come with keeping a social connecti