Ontario is introducing a $17-billion package to help address the COVID-19 pandemic. The money is meant to support the province's health sector, people and businesses. New spending includes a $1-billion pandemic contingency fund, nearly $1 billion more for hospitals, and $75 million for more personal protective equipment for front-line workers. Measures also include a one-time payment for parents of $200 per child 12 years old and under, doubling payments for low-income seniors and suspending student loan payments for six months. The plan includes both $7 billion in new spending and $10 billio

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau won't say if the government plans to activate the Federal Quarantine Act. But Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland says as of midnight, people returning to Canada must self quarantine for 14 days. If they don't, they can be fined or arrested, as a Newfoundland woman was yesterday. She is due in court via video link for violating public health emergency orders.

A financial aid package for people struggling to make ends meet after losing their job due to the COVID-19 pandemic has now received royal assent. The 107-billion-dollar package includes $52 billion in cash support. One measure will provide two-thousand-dollars per month for up to four months to workers whose income drops to zero because of the pandemic. Finance Minister Bill Morneau says the benefit should start getting to workers on April 6th. That's as the country-wide number of cases climbed to nearly 33 hundred and the number of deaths rose to 30.

Canada's chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam says Canadians are getting the message that donating blood is safe. Tam told the Senate today that both Canadian Blood Services and Hema-Quebec have put ``amazing'' systems in place to screen donors for symptoms of COVID-19 before allowing them into the blood donation centres. Tam says Canadians are stepping up and they need to keep it going.

The new benefit for workers losing income because of the COVID-19 pandemic will provide $2,000 a month for up to four months. It's being called the Canada Emergency Response Benefit and is designed to streamline the programs the Liberal government had previously proposed as part their $27 billion in direct support to Canadians.The benefit is part of legislation being studied by Parliament today with the hopes it becomes law this afternoon.The application program for the new benefit should open in early April.

Prince Charles has tested positive for the new coronavirus but is only showing mild symptoms and is self-isolating.The prince's Clarence House office says his wife Camilla has tested negative.Buckingham Palace says the 93 yearold Queen is in good health and remains at her home in Windsor with the 98 year old Duke of Edinburgh.

At least 25 civilians were killed and 8 were wounded in a terror attack on a Gurudwara in the capital of Afghanistan, Kabul.The attack on Wednesday was claimed by the ISIL (ISIS) armed group.The Interior Ministry says IS gunmen rampaged through a Sikh place of worship, called Gurudwara, in the heart of the Afghan capital on Wednesday.It says that the gunmen held many of the worshippers hostage for several hours as Afghan special forces, helped by international troops, tried to clear the building. Afghan special forces confirmed that all four gunmen were killed.

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesday said that the government has sanctioned Rs 3 crore for providing food packets to over 38,000 people during the lockdown period in the state to combat the COVID-19 crisis. "Have sanctioned Rs 3 cr for providing food packets to over 38000 @PunjabPoliceInd personnel working round the clock to enforce the curfew and facilitate people in these testing times. Have also asked @DGPPunjabPolice to convey my appreciation to them," Singh tweeted. The Punjab Police on Tuesday registered 230 FIRs and arrested 111 people for violation of the curfew i

US President Donald Trump is hoping the United States economy will be reopened by Easter as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread. Trump's optimism contradicted the warnings of some public health officials who called for stricter not looser restrictions on public interactions. Trump says any move to reopen the U-S for business will be rooted in facts.