COVID-19 Government and International Response: July 31, 2020

WHAT TO KNOW

Global COVID-19 cases have reached 17,296,303, up from 17,040,985 at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.  Canada now reports 115,799 cases, up from 115,246 cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday. Ontario reports 39,209 cases, up from 38,986 cases on Wednesday.

The growth rate of new cases in the province is still under 1%, with 134 (0.3%) new cases reported since yesterday. Of the province’s total cases, 35,074 have been resolved (89.5%) and there have been 2,775 deaths (7.1%). The province has now completed 2,171,972 tests and reports 29,215 tests are currently under investigation. More information here.

A province-by-province breakdown of Canada’s COVID-19 case count can be found here.

FEDERAL

Today, the Government of Canada announced that the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) will be extended by one month to help eligible small businesses pay rent for August. Despite the gradual lifting of restrictions and re-opening of businesses across the country, many small businesses continue to require assistance with their fixed costs to support them as they adapt to a new reality. This extension will help provide Canadian small businesses most impacted by the shutdown with an extended bridge to recovery. More information here.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced today that the millions of people who are still claiming the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) will soon be transitioned onto the federal Employment Insurance program. The weaning off of the massive and never-before-used aid program has been months in the making, with signals that a strengthened EI program was in the works and to be used if there was a second wave. More information here.

Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, and Ontario Premier Doug Ford, announced that COVID Alert, a new national mobile app, is now available to Canadians for free download. The app, first developed in Ontario, helps notify users if they may have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. The COVID Alert app uses Bluetooth technology to detect when users are near each other. If a user tests positive for COVID-19, they can choose to let other users know without sharing any personal information. More information here.

 PROVINCIAL

The Ontario government, in consultation with the Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health, has amended orders O. Reg 364/20: Rules for Areas in Stage 3 and O. Reg. 263/20: Rules for Areas in Stage 2, under the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020, implementing additional measures for restaurants, bars, and other food or drink establishments, as the province carefully and gradually reopens. In order to keep patrons of restaurants, bars, and other food or drink establishments safe, the amended orders will implement the following measures:

• All patrons will be required to be seated at all times, in both indoor and outdoor areas, with limited exceptions
• Bars and restaurants (and also tour boat operators) in Ontario will be required to keep client logs for a period of 30 days and to disclose the client logs to the medical officer of health or an inspector
• Complementary changes are being made in respect of existing provisions relating to tour operators and tour boat operators.

More information here.

On July 30, the Ontario government announced its plan to allow licensed childcare centres across Ontario to open at full capacity starting September 1, 2020, to provide support for working parents. This decision was made in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health and the COVID-19 Command Table. More information here.

TORONTO

Today, the City of Toronto entered Stage 3 of the provincial reopening, allowing for the safe restart of more businesses and services including playgrounds, additional recreational programs, indoor restaurant dining, gyms and sports facilities with certain restrictions in place. Under the Stage 3 order and regulation made under the Province’s Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, nearly all businesses and public spaces can gradually reopen, with workplace safety and public health measures in place. More information here.

INTERNATIONAL