TORONTO: Canada's two most populous provinces on Friday (Sep 25) moved to clamp down further on social gatherings in a bid to slow a second wave of coronavirus cases sweeping across much of the country.
Ontario ordered the closure of bars and restaurants from midnight to 5am except for takeout and delivery and said strip clubs would have to shut down from Saturday.
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Premier Doug Ford, whose government has already slashed the size of permitted gatherings indoor and outdoors, repeated his concerns that the majority of new cases were in people under 40.
"I can tell you I don't see seniors going into nightclubs too often," he told a daily briefing.
Health officials in Canada have been making increasingly gloomy comments in recent days. Theresa Tam, the chief medical officer, said on Friday that some local authorities could be overwhelmed unless the wave was curbed.
In Quebec, Health Minister Christian Dube urged residents to cut down on social interactions.
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"We're asking you to make a special effort for the next 28 days," he told a news conference, saying the government did not want to close bars because people might then attend private parties that are harder to control.
READ: Runny nose, stay home? Canada schools debate how to act on common cold symptoms
Ontario and Quebec together account for 79 per cent of the 149,094 cases reported in Canada so far and 93 per cent of the 9,249 deaths.
In Ottawa, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada signed a deal with AstraZeneca PLC to buy up to 20 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate. It is among the leading candidates in the global race for a vaccine.
Procurement Minister Anita AnaRead More – Source
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