Good evening, here are the coronavirus updates you need to know tonight.
Top headlines:
- Disney World reopens as coronavirus cases surge in Florida.
- Coronavirus deaths in the U.S. are taking a long-expected turn for the worse.
- Montreal public health officials are urging anyone in the city who has visited a bar since Canada Day to get tested for COVID-19.
In Canada, there have been at least 107,346 cases reported. In the last week 1,990 new cases were announced, 8% fewer than the previous week.
There have also been at least 71,266 recoveries and 8,769 deaths. Health officials have administered more than 3,350,327 tests.
Worldwide, there have been at least 12,498,467 cases confirmed and 560,209 deaths reported.
Sources: Canada data is compiled from government websites, Johns Hopkins and COVID-19 Canada Open Data Working Group; international data is from Johns Hopkins University.
Coronavirus explainers: Updates and essential resources • Coronavirus in maps and charts • Lockdown rules and reopening plans in each province
Photo of the day
Summer Selmon, her brother Levi, and their parents Dave and Brandi wear face masks while visiting the Disney Springs shopping and dining district during their vacation at Walt Disney World during a phased reopening from coronavirus disease.OCTAVIO JONES/Reuters
Number of the day
500
Florida set a new record of nearly 500 coronavirus deaths in one week, which is about 80 more than they had reported the week prior.
- The state also reported 9,960 new cases on Saturday, bringing the total number of reported cases since March 1 to 254,511.
- Throughout May and June, the state reopened much of its economy, with Disney World opening its doors today.
- Disney’s new rules include mandatory masks and social distancing. Visitors will need reservations to enter a park, and they won’t be allowed to hop between parks. Both visitors and employees will receive temperature checks when they enter. Fireworks shows and parades have been suspended to prevent drawing too many people together.
What it means: The increase in cases combined with the positivity rate has led doctors to predict a rise in deaths, saying the mortality rate usually increases two to four weeks later.
Coronavirus in Canada
- Canadian universities are scrambling to salvage one of their major sources of revenue — international students. With international students paying two to five times the amount of domestic tuition, universities are doing what they can to ensure they come to Canada in the fall, though students themselves are still weighing the risks.
- Elections Saskatchewan is preparing for a pandemic election in the fall, making it the only province planning for a general election this year. An independent body is trying to source about $425,000 worth of personal protective supplies for voters and election workers.
- An urgent shortage of childcare will force many parents to choose between their jobs and their children, and this decision will unequally fall upon women. Not only will this increase gender disparities but it will also harm the economy, say Canadian economists.
In Ottawa, the Liberals’ fiscal update last week that projected a federal debt topping $1 trillion is leading experts to wonder how the Trudeau government will plan to revive Canada’s economy.
- In a fiscal update last week, Finance Minister Bill Morneau projected a deficit of $343.2-billion this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
- In the face of this unprecedented economic storm, the government is abandoning its fiscal anchor of pushing the ratio of debt-to-GDP below 30 per cent. [For subscribers]
Coronavirus around the world
- The pandemic is highlighting inequities around the world, with unequal countries such as South Africa and India being among the hardest hit. South Africa’s confirmed cases have doubled in two weeks to a quarter-million, while India saw its biggest daily spike today.
- Health experts are warning of a looming mental health crisis tied to the pandemic that will disproportionately affect Black people in the U.S. Rising suicide rates among Black youth are already worrying experts who are calling for more specialized care.
Coronavirus and business
Senior executives at major Canadian grocery chains appeared before a parliamentary committee yesterday to defend cutting COVID-19 pay premiums for workers, saying the wage bump was always intended as a short-term measure and was withdrawn as pandemic-instigated lockdowns eased across the country.
Globe opinion
- David Berry: “We have now lived through just about enough of These Unprecedented Times to begin to appreciate how the relentlessness of living inevitably sands and shapes our memory not into a perfect record, but a perfect platform upon which to live the rest of our life.”
- Amy Greer, Nisha Thampi, and Ashleigh Tuite: “As we move to less restrictive phases in our reopening plans, the actions we take during the summer to keep transmission low will enhance our chances of a successful return to school in the fall.”
Distractions
The community of Port Renfrew. Read The Globe's third annual Hidden Canada series, which explores overlooked Canadian destinations.Kamil Bialous/The Globe and Mail/The Globe and Mail
✈ For the sightseer: domestic tourism is the name of the game this summer, and we’ve got plenty of ideas for your ‘staycation':
- Our third annual Hidden Canada series is live, with stunning visuals of overlooked, but incredible Canadian destinations
- We compare exotic overseas destinations with their Canadian equivalents
- A list of luxurious boutique hotels and eco-lodges across the country
Information centre
- Pandemic personal finance: Rob Carrick’s 10-point checklist of things you should have done by now to protect or improve your money situation. Tips for minimizing damage to your credit score; how to manage retirement anxiety during difficult times; and things to think about if you’re considering home delivery.
- Here are the expectations for self-isolation; tips for managing anxiety and protecting your mental health; and what to do if you think you have the virus, and what you can do to help slow the spread of coronavirus. How to break a bad habit (like touching your face).
- The best foods to eat to maintain an immune system-friendly diet; and how to keep a healthy diet while working from home; four eating tips when working from home; and five mistakes that might cause you to gain unwanted weight. Here are the essentials to stock up on and how to shop safely for groceries; the best pantry staples and how to stop stress-eating. What to cook with rhubarb (aside from pie).
- Here’s what you should do if you are newly laid off; how to apply for CERB, EI, and other financial benefits; how the CRA might identify CERB fraud; and other coronavirus and employment questions answered. What to do if your employees don’t return to work because they want to collect CERB.
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