Trudeau warns premature reopening could send Canada 'back into confinement'

Authored by reuters.com and submitted by hildebrand_rarity

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warned on Saturday that if provinces move too quickly to reopen their economies, a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic could send Canada “back into confinement this summer.”

FILE PHOTO: Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attends a news conference at Rideau Cottage, as efforts continue to slow the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada April 24, 2020. REUTERS/Blair Gable/File Photo

Trudeau, who represents a Montreal, Quebec parliamentary district, told reporters in a daily briefing that he is concerned about the virus’ spread in that province, the country’s epicenter. He said any reopening should be gradual.

Although health officials have pointed to a flattening rate of daily cases in many provinces, Trudeau said Canada was “not in the recovery phase yet.”

“We are still in the emergency phase... The vast majority of Canadians continue to need to be very careful.”

Canada’s death toll rose 3.5% to 4,628 from a day earlier, while cases approached 67,000. Nearly 60% of Canada’s deaths have occurred in Quebec, where there are numerous outbreaks in nursing homes.

Quebec has unveiled plans to restart its economy gradually, but on Thursday delayed for the second time the date when businesses can reopen in Montreal.

Ontario reported an increase of 346 cases, the lowest daily increase in more than a month, and said it would open provincial parks for some uses starting on Monday.

More than 80% of Canadian deaths from the virus are residents of nursing homes, a “national tragedy” caused in part by housing up to four per room, said Canada Deputy Chief Public Health Officer Howard Njoo.

Some of the country’s biggest individual outbreaks are in Cargill Inc [CARG.UL] and JBS SA beef plants in Alberta, which has forced them to reduce production.

This has resulted in a glut of live cattle and tight beef supplies.

President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he had urged the U.S. Justice Department to look into allegations that the meatpacking industry broke antitrust law because of a widening gap between low prices for livestock and high prices for meat.

Canada will also take a “very careful look,” Trudeau said. “We need to make sure no one is profiting in an exaggerated way from this crisis,” he said.

Trudeau gave no specifics. The independent Competition Bureau reviews such concerns.

Coronavirus infections are also multiplying in Canada’s remote, indigenous communities.

The pandemic helped cause a record-breaking loss of 2 million jobs in April, Canadian government data showed on Friday. The unemployment rate jumped less than expected, however, because some laid-off people collect federal aid and are waiting to return to their old jobs when the pandemic passes.

BigMik_PL on May 9th, 2020 at 22:10 UTC »

I don't think Countries worldwide are reopening because they think they are winning the battle vs Covid. I think they are reopening because they don't have a choice and they can no longer support a lockdown. It's a fucking shame really but I don't think any Country in the world is prepared for a lengthy lockdown which is why everyone was stressing early and good response.

The only reason some Countries (South Korea or Germany as an example) are doing far better then others is not neccesiarly deeper pockets, stronger economy but simply far better initial response and control of the spread. Remember that South Korea never even had to go into a lockdown.

Germany even got to the point where Bundesliga is set to return in upcoming weeks.

Cerinthus on May 9th, 2020 at 21:15 UTC »

Trudeau in general has taken the bold stance that public health knows better because that's what they're paid for.

Kodi_Yak on May 9th, 2020 at 19:45 UTC »

A very low percentage of people have been infected/recovered with COVID-19. That's a good thing, but when it comes to relaxing social distancing, it's also just a whole lot of free real estate for the virus to spread for a potentially bigger second wave.

A lot of people miss the point: You don't re-open just because daily cases have slowed down a bit, and hope for the best. You re-open when daily cases have slowed down and you have extensive testing support and a reasonable track-and-trace program to limit the spread. This isolation period was supposed to buy us time to do that. Some (but not all) of the countries that are re-opening have such systems in place. South Korea is a very good example of this.

And of course we don't just immediately go back to shoulder-to-shoulder crowding into theatres and restaurants, either. Some social distancing will likely persist for years to come, while a few habits will be with us for good.