Coronavirus Update: Ottawa plans to forgive up to 50 per cent of COVID-19 pandemic loans to Indigenous businesses

Good evening, here are the COVID-19 updates you need to know tonight.

Top headlines:

1. Ottawa plans to forgive up to 50 per cent of COVID-19 pandemic loans to Indigenous businesses
2. More than half of Americans have had COVID-19 infections, according to a new antibody study
3. Air Canada’s revenue more than triples to $2.6-billion as travel recovery takes hold

In the past seven days, there were 409 deaths announced, up 23 per cent over the same period. At least 6,421 people are being treated in hospitals.

Canada’s inoculation rate is 13th among countries with a population of one million or more people.

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: Coronavirus in maps and charts • Tracking vaccine doses • Lockdown rules and reopening

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Coronavirus in Canada

• Ontario saw another jump in hospitalizations, but no change in ICU patients. The province also had another 13 deaths from the virus.
• Quebec is reporting 32 more deaths attributed to COVID-19 and a 64-patient rise in hospitalizations. Quebec’s emergency rooms remain under heavy strain with many over 100 per cent capacity.
• In Nova Scotia, some daycares have had to reduce services due to staffing shortages caused by COVID-19 infections and industry woes.

The federal government plans to forgive up to 50 per cent of COVID-19 pandemic loans to Indigenous businesses.

• The Indigenous Business Initiative was launched in the spring of 2020 to give emergency, interest-free loans of up to $60,000 to Indigenous-owned businesses, modelled after the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA), the government’s main emergency loan fund. Like CEBA, up to a third of the COVID-Indigenous Business Initiative loan did not have to be repaid.
• The 2022 federal budget, tabled earlier this month, announced that the nonrepayable portion would soon increase to 50 per cent of the value of the loan.

Change in direction: While many distilleries and breweries pivoted operations to make hand sanitizer in the early days of COVID-19, they’ve since walked away from this side business for a variety of reasons.

Coronavirus around the world

• In the U.S., Vice President Kamala Harris tested positive for the coronavirus. A nationwide blood survey in the country also found that more than half of all adults have had COVID-19, and more than 75 per cent of children aged 11 and younger have been infected with the virus.
• Reuters reports that the European Commission plans to put the European Union in a new postemergency phase of the pandemic, which would mean targeted testing and monitoring of COVID-19 cases in a way that’s similar to how the flu is tracked.
• In China, Beijing is testing 20 million people in the city after an outbreak, in order to prevent the lockdowns endured in Shanghai.
• The U.K.’s Wimbledon is allowing Novak Djokovic to defend his title when the tournament starts June 27, despite the tennis player not being vaccinated. The 34-year-old Serb missed the Australian Open in January after being deported from that country because he was not vaccinated against COVID-19.

Coronavirus and business

In a career advice column, one boss asks whether they should rehire an employee who was terminated because of their vaccination status.

• In the responses given by two experts, they weigh the legal ramifications, as well as the potential impact to morale for those who did comply with the requirement.
• If you have a question for our experts, send an e-mail to NineToFive@globeandmail.com with ‘Nine to Five’ in the subject line.

Also today: Air Canada reported first-quarter financial results on Tuesday and said revenues rose to $2.6-billion from $729-million in the same period of 2021, as passengers shook off fears of COVID-19 and resumed flying, albeit in smaller numbers than in pre-pandemic days.

And: Commodities with the biggest exposure to China are starting to price in a worsening COVID-19 situation as fears of more lockdowns worsen an already soft demand outlook.

Globe opinion

• Kim Campbell: “‘Disease X’ is inevitable. Another global pandemic is not”
• Stan Houston and Stephanie Yanow: “Canada has a major role to play in advancing global COVID-19 vaccine equity”

Information centre

• Everything you need to know about Canada’s travel rules for vaccinated and unvaccinated people
• Where do I book a COVID-19 booster or a vaccine appointment for my kids? Latest rules by province
• Got a vaccine 'hangover'? Here's why

Sources: Canada data are compiled from government websites, Johns Hopkins University and COVID-19 Canada Open Data Working Group; international data are from Johns Hopkins.

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