Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Sunday
Nunavut now has 2 confirmed cases of COVID-19
The latest:
- Nunavut reports first COVID-19 cases involving 2 mine workers.
- Quebec Premier François Legault tests negative for COVID-19.
- Tighter restrictions restrictions imposed in parts of Quebec.
- Ontario limits gathering sizes provincewide after reporting 407 new cases.
- Police disperse crowd at 'impromptu car show' in Hamilton, Ont.
Two miners who were exposed to COVID-19 in their home jurisdictions before travelling are being monitored in Nunavut.
Dr. Michael Patterson, Nunavut's chief public health officer, announced the cases at the Hope Bay gold mine in a news release Saturday issued by the territorial government.
These are the first cases of the infection to be reported in Nunavut since the pandemic began, but since they didn't originate in the territory they'll instead be counted in other jurisdictions, said Cate Macleod, spokesperson for Premier Joe Savikataaq.
"Both miners are asymptomatic and were immediately isolated and swabbed for the virus," Patterson said.
No residents from the territory itself work at the site, 125 kilometres southwest of Cambridge Bay, so it's believed the risk of community spread remains low.
In Quebec, Premier François Legault said he has tested negative for COVID-19.
Legault and his wife were tested after meeting with Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole last Monday. O'Toole tested positive for the virus Friday.
In a message posted Saturday to social media, Legault said he will remain in isolation until Sept. 28.
Meanwhile, the Quebec government is imposing tighter restrictions on public and private indoor gatherings in Montreal and Quebec City, among other parts of the province, after 462 new cases were announced for a provincial total of 67,542 cases and 5,802 deaths.
WATCH | Quebec urges people in orange zones to respect new rules
Health Minister Christian Dubé says the government is moving Montreal, Quebec City and some of its surrounding areas, and the Chaudiere-Appalaches region to the orange "moderate alert" level.
That is the second-highest level under the province's four-tiered, colour-coded COVID-19 risk assessment system, which measures the risk posed by COVID-19 in specific geographic areas.
In orange zones, bars and restaurants will need to stop selling alcohol at 11 p.m. and close by midnight, while a maximum of six patrons will be allowed to sit at the same table, down from 10.
Indoor private gatherings in orange zone areas also will be capped at a maximum of six people, down from 10.
Some indoor public gatherings— such as religious services, weddings or event halls— will be capped at a maximum of 50 people across the entire province and at 25 people in orange zones, down from 250.
The changes come into effect Monday, after hitting a months-long high in cases for the second day in a row.
WATCH | Ontario Premier Doug Ford limits social gatherings provincewide:
Ontario saw its caseload jump by 365 on Sunday for a total of 46,849, after reporting 407 new cases on Saturday and 401 on Friday.
Premier Doug Ford announced a tightening of restrictions on private social gatherings on Saturday, effective immediately. People in every region of the province can only gather in groups of 10 people indoors, and 25 outdoors under orders continuing until Oct. 22.
Police in Hamilton, Ont., dispersed a crowd on Saturday night that they say was well over the new allowable limits for outdoor social gatherings.
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—@CPHO_CanadaOfficers from nearby Peel and York regions, along with Ontario Provincial Police, joined efforts to shut down what police called an "impromptu car show" in a parking lot.
People had brought about 500 cars to the parking lot at Cineplex Cinemas Ancaster for the event, said Staff Sgt. Richard Vanderboom of Hamilton Police Mountain Station. He declined to estimate how many people were there.
As of 4:15 p.m. ET on Sunday, Canada had 143,649 confirmed or presumptive coronavirus cases. Provinces and territories listed 124,691 of those as recovered or resolved. A CBC News tally of deaths based on provincial reports, regional health information and CBC's reporting stood at 9,256.
What's happening around the rest of Canada
In downtown Calgary, a restaurant owner says he's near the point of having to hire security because staff are facing harassment from customers who do not want to wear face coverings.
Stephen Deere, owner of Modern Steak, says the level of disrespect from patrons refusing to wear a mask has been escalating in recent days.
"We're in a democracy, and I believe you have the right to have your opinion and you have the right to protest," Deere said. "But when you're taking it out on the front-line workers and retail and hospitality, and they're feeling threatened up to the point that violence could occur, it's time to ring the alarm."
Calgary council voted earlier this month to keep masks mandatory in indoor public spaces, including restaurants, and on public transit, with the next update on masks coming in December.
- Physical distancing, extreme levels of fatigue are concerns for Alberta teachers, survey suggests
- Montreal advocates concerned new mask fines will target vulnerable communities
- Overcrowded buses worry commuters as COVID-19 cases rise, weather turns colder
- Ontario health-care worker returns home six months after testing positive for COVID-19
What's happening around the world
According to Johns Hopkins University, the global total of confirmed coronavirus cases stands at more than 30.8 million. More than 958,000 people have died, while 21 million have recovered.
California's death count from the coronavirus has surpassed 15,000, making it the fourth-highest in the country, even as the state sees widespread improvement in infection levels. New York has suffered by far the most deaths — 33,087 — followed by New Jersey, which has about half as many. Texas is third.
California has had the most confirmed virus cases in the country with about 775,000, but key indicators have fallen dramatically since a spike that started after Memorial Day weekend prompted statewide shutdowns of businesses.
Across the country, at least 18 members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate — nine Republicans and
seven Democrats — have tested positive or are presumed to have had COVID-19, with Representative Jahana Hayes becoming the latest on Sunday.
In London, England, hundreds of people gathered on Saturday to protest the latest COVID-19 restrictions. There were scuffles between demonstrators and police who moved in to disperse the crowd in Trafalgar Square.
Many held placards calling for "freedom" from the restrictions, while some called the pandemic a hoax.
The U.K. reported more than 4,400 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, its highest single-day spike since May.
In Spain, people protested in Madrid on Sunday against the handling of the coronavirus pandemic by the city's regional head, who has placed new restrictions on neighbourhoods with the highest contagion rates.
Wearing face masks and trying to maintain distancing, protesters clapped in unison while shouting for regional President Isabel Diaz Ayuso to step down.
The restrictions affect around 860,000 people who won't be able to leave their neighbourhoods except for essential activities, including work or a medical appointment. Parks in the area are closed and shops and restaurants have to limit occupancy to 50 per cent.
Spain is struggling to contain a second wave of the novel coronavirus, which has killed at least 30,400 people, according to the Spanish health ministry. Madrid's rate of transmission is more than double the national average, which already leads European contagion charts.
Lebanon registered a record 1,006 cases of COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, the third consecutive record-breaking day of confirmed virus cases.
Health Minister Hamad Hassan recommended a total lockdown for two weeks to stem the alarming rise in daily detected infections, but authorities will find it difficult difficult to impose another lockdown amid an unprecedented economic collapse.
The new cases registered by the Health Ministry bring the overall number of confirmed cases in Lebanon to 29,303, while deaths have reached 297 since the first case was reported in the country in late February.
The rise began after a lockdown eased and the country's only international airport reopened in early July. The surge continued after the massive Aug. 4 explosion in Beirut's port that killed 193 people, injured at least 6,500 and devastated much of the city.
The blast also overwhelmed Beirut's hospitals and badly damaged two that had a key role in handling virus cases.
In Brazil, a three -tonne memorial for people who lost their lives to COVID-19 was erected on Sunday at a cemetery where many of Rio de Janeiro's victims have been buried.
The 39-metre-long steel Infinity Memorial provides families with a symbol of their loss in one of the worst affected cities in Brazil.
Rio de Janeiro state reached more than 17,600 deaths and more than 250,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, second only to Sao Paulo state in Brazil.
India has registered 92,605 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours and is expected to surpass the United States as
the pandemic's worst-hit country within weeks.
The Health Ministry on Sunday also reported 1,133 additional deaths for a total of 86,752.
Sunday's surge raised the country's virus tally to over 5.4 million. India, however, also has the highest number of recovered patients in the world, according to Johns Hopkins University. Its recovery rate stands at about 80 per cent.
Over 60 per cent of the active cases are concentrated in five of India's 28 states — Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has faced scathing criticism for its handling of the pandemic amid a contracting economy that left millions jobless.
With files from The Canadian Press, Reuters and The Associated Press
