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Good evening, here are the COVID-19 updates you need to know tonight.
Top headlines:
- Ten per cent of Alberta schools are dealing with COVID-19 outbreaks, according to the Support Our Students advocacy group – which began tracking cases because the provincial government ended contact tracing and mandatory isolation for close contacts of positive cases
- The Ontario government is reserving COVID-19 rapid tests for workplaces only, not schools, frustrating parents
- These homeowners left big cities during the pandemic. As cities reopen, will they return?
In the past seven days, 29,046 cases were reported, down 4 per cent from the previous seven days. There were 268 deaths announced, up 5 per cent over the same period. At least 2,440 people are being treated in hospitals and 1,550,990 others are considered recovered.
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
Photo of the day
A student receives instruction at the NGO Mundo Novo, which during the coronavirus pandemic has been giving students access to education and food, in Mesquita, Brazil, Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, Brazil is one of the countries that is the least invested in education during the pandemic.Bruna Prado/The Associated Press
Coronavirus in Canada
- Alberta’s mobile COVID-19 vaccine clinic will continue after the province announced a cash investment for the service, which had previously been supported largely with private contributions. Meanwhile, 10 per cent of schools in the province have COVID-19 outbreaks. Alberta says its 25,000 public sector workers will soon be required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or regular negative tests.
- Ontario tells agencies tasked with distributing rapid antigen tests they are to be used only for workplaces, not schools, leaving many parents frustrated. And a fourth person is now facing charges in connection with alleged fraud involving Ontario COVID-19 relief funding.
- Quebec is lifting its capacity limits on venues with assigned seating starting Oct. 8, but says it is too soon to permit larger indoor private gatherings.
Coronavirus and business
COVID-19 made these homeowners leave big cities behind. As cities reopen, are they ever coming back?
- The shift to remote work during the pandemic opened up new possibilities for many who previously had to live close to their big-city offices.
- But this summer, some began taking stock of their lifestyle and surroundings once again.
Also today: Flight attendants exhausted by COVID-19 pandemic-fuelled rise in passenger bad behaviour
And: Co-working spaces poised for surge in demand as remote work increases
Globe opinion
- John Ibbitson: Any member of Parliament who is not vaccinated against COVID-19 should resign
- Konrad Yakabuski: The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the myth of universal public health care in Canada
- Ashley Nunes: Will Canadians with mixed-vaccine doses be blocked from U.S. flights?
- Helen Antoniades: How baseball (and the Jays) give me hope during the pandemic
More reporting
- How global supply chains are falling out of fashion
- BlackRock requires over half its workers return to office for November, according to memo
- Edmonton Elks say general manager medically exempt from COVID-19 vaccine policy
- Growth funds among Q3 winners for U.S. investors as COVID worries grew
Information centre
- Everything you need to know about Canada’s travel restrictions for vaccinated and unvaccinated people
- Waiting for a second dose? We answer your COVID-19 vaccine questions
- What is and isn’t ‘paid sick leave’ in Canada? A short primer
- 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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