Coronavirus Update: Federal government cites cross-border travel in denying Blue Jays playing home games in Toronto

Good evening, here are the coronavirus updates you need to know tonight.

Top headlines:

1. Blue Jays can’t play home games in Toronto after federal government rejects plan, citing concerns with cross-border travel
2. Quebec becomes first province to make masks mandatory in indoor public spaces
3. As coronavirus surges in some U.S. states, emergency rooms are swamped

In Canada, there have been at least 109,991 cases reported. In the last week 2,559 new cases were announced, 23 per cent fewer than the previous week.

There have also been at least 96,907 recoveries and 8,848 deaths. Health officials have administered more than 3,672,249 tests.

Worldwide, there have been at least 14,055,299 cases confirmed and 596,518 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

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Coronavirus in Canada

• A new poll from Angus Reid finds that only 55 per cent of Canadians regularly wear masks. Seventy-four per cent of those surveyed say they don’t wear masks due to discomfort, lack of concern about COVID-19, perceived ineffectiveness, or to mimic others not wearing masks.

In Ottawa, the federal government announced it will be ordering enough COVID-19 vaccine supplies to give each Canadian two doses, once a vaccine is available.

• Around the world, there are almost two dozen vaccines in clinical trials and at least 140 more in earlier stages of development, but most experts predict it will be well into 2021 before the first vaccines might be ready for wide use.
• Canadian experts are warning that it will be hard to tell which vaccine candidates will ultimately be successful.
• Last week, Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. accused Russia of trying to steal vaccine research, which the three countries says hinders response efforts.

Coronavirus around the world

• California returns to stricter lockdown as coronavirus cases surged again after the state began reopening in May. The alarming rise in cases is a blow to early efforts to flatten the curve and could cause more harm to an already struggling economy.
• African countries have had a seemingly low death rate compared to the rest of the world, a mystery that health experts are trying to understand. Part of the reason could be COVID-19′s later arrival to the continent, which allowed healthcare workers time to understand treatment methods, as well as the continents relatively young population.
• Israelis protested Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Police used water cannons to disperse protesters criticizing alleged corruption and high unemployment rates.
• As many as 25 million Iranians could have been infected with COVID-19 since the outbreak’s beginning, estimated Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. He urged the public to take the pandemic more seriously as experts warn 30-35 million more people could be infected in the coming months. Iran’s population is 81 million.
• A push to reopen schools in Arizona is fast becoming America’s new protest flashpoint, as teachers say the move will endanger students and teachers. Opponents are staging “motor marches” to counter proponents’ “reopen” rallies as the school year approaches.

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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