Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Tuesday
Quebec relaxing more restrictions, N.S. reopening to Atlantic region with modified rules for N.B. travellers
The latest:
- Trudeau says border restrictions will be further relaxed 'in the coming weeks' if all goes well.
- U.S. pushes vaccinations for younger Americans as concerns about delta variant spread.
- Many Sask. clinics to offer only Moderna vaccine for time being, after delay in Pfizer shipment.
- Quebec loosening restrictions around gatherings and recreational sports in coming days.
- N.S. to impose modified quarantine rules on N.B. travellers.
- Ontario sees 296 more COVID-19 cases, 6 new deaths linked to illness.
- 'Just keep swimming': How students and teachers in Quebec kept schools open despite the pandemic.
- Have a coronavirus question or news tip for CBC News? Email: [email protected]
Nova Scotia reported two new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday as it announced it's opening its provincial boundaries on Wednesday to travellers from the Atlantic provinces, but with modified rules for those coming from New Brunswick.
The province says New Brunswick travellers can enter for any reason but will have isolation requirements based on their vaccination status and testing.
The move comes after New Brunswick last week became the first province in the region to reopen borders to Canadian travellers without requiring them to self-isolate as long as they have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Late Tuesday, part of Nova Scotia's Trans-Canada Highway was shut down due to a protest over the border restrictions for N.B. travellers.
Nova Scotia is set to open its borders to travellers from outside the Atlantic region starting June 30, with the same isolation rules that will apply to those from New Brunswick. Only essential travel from outside the Atlantic region is currently permitted.
Nova Scotia also reported two additional deaths on Tuesday, bringing the number of COVID-19-related deaths reported in the province to 92.
New Brunswick reported one new case of COVID-19 on Tuesday. More than 31,000 New Brunswickers registered for appointments Monday for a second dose of COVID-19 vaccine — a new single-day record in the province.
There were no new cases reported in Prince Edward Island. Health officials on the Island, which has not seen any COVID-19-related deaths, last reported a new case on June 3.
In Newfoundland and Labrador, health officials on Tuesday reported one new case of COVID-19.
- From The Canadian Press and CBC News, last updated at 8:30 p.m. ET
What's happening across Canada
As of 7:45 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Canada had reported 1,410,214 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 10,843 considered active. A CBC News tally of deaths stood at 26,155. More than 33 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered so far across the country, according to CBC's vaccine tracker.
In Quebec on Tuesday, health officials reported 84 new cases of COVID-19 and four deaths.
Premier François Legault announced a further loosening of restrictions at a news conference. Starting Friday, those who have received two vaccine doses can gather inside without a mask, while a maximum of 3,500 people will be allowed at outdoor festivals.
Next Monday, the entire province will move to the green zone, which means more allowances around gatherings and recreational sports.
WATCH | Quebec premier announces significant easing of COVID restrictions:
Ontario on Tuesday reported 296 new cases of COVID-19 and 60 additional deaths, but provincial officials noted that both the case count and death numbers were elevated "due to a data review and clean-up."
"Approximately 80 cases from 2020 have been included in Toronto Public Health's case count today," a statement said. "In addition, due to a separate data clean-up, 54 deaths being reported today are from previous months."
In the North on Tuesday, health officials in Yukon reported eight new cases. The territory has seen a rise in case numbers and officials are warning they "expect to see many more cases over the coming weeks, especially in our unvaccinated population."
Nunavut reported no new cases of COVID-19. Premier Joe Savikataaq said that with eight recoveries, there were no active cases in the territory.
The Northwest Territories also did not report any new cases on Tuesday.
In the Prairie provinces, Manitoba on Tuesday reported 69 new cases of COVID-19, continuing a downward trend in new infections. It also reported four new COVID-19 deaths in the province and an additional death of a patient in Ontario, who had been transferred out of Manitoba for care last month.
Saskatchewan, meanwhile, reported 36 new cases of COVID-19 and no additional deaths on Tuesday.
The Saskatchewan Health Authority says a delay in a shipment of Pfizer vaccine this week means many clinics will offer only the Moderna shots for a while. Both Ontario and Alberta have already announced they will use Moderna doses that have arrived in larger numbers in recent days.
In Alberta, health officials on Tuesday reported one new death and 57 new cases.
Premier Jason Kenney announced last week that the province will move to Stage 3 of its reopening plan on July 1, when almost all COVID-19 public health restrictions will be lifted. At a news conference Tuesday, the province's chief medical officer of health said the lifting of restrictions will bring its own challenges.
"Some anxiety and uncertainty is natural during these transitions," said Dr. Deena Hinshaw. "As cases drop and vaccinations rise, we all must get ready to face a new kind of challenge, learning to live with COVID as restrictions ease and life starts to feel closer to the one we knew before COVID-19 arrived."
British Columbia reported 56 new cases and no additional deaths on Tuesday, as health officials announced that more than one million people in the province have now been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.
- From CBC News and The Canadian Press, last updated at 7:45 p.m. ET
What's happening around the world
As of Tuesday evening, more than 178.9 million cases of COVID-19 had been reported worldwide, according to data compiled by U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University. The reported global death toll stood at more than 3.8 million.
In the Asia-Pacific region, New Zealand raised the COVID-19 alert level to Level 2 in the capital city of Wellington Wednesday, after an Australian tourist who visited the city over the weekend tested positive for COVID-19. The country has had nearly four months with no community transmission of the virus.
The Level 2 measures, in effect until Sunday, mean social distancing rules will be in place across the city, but offices, schools and businesses can remain open. Authorities also asked people at more than a dozen locations to self-isolate for two weeks and get tested.
The Philippine president has threatened to order the arrest of Filipinos who refuse COVID-19 vaccination and told them to leave the country if they would not co-operate with the efforts to contain the pandemic.
President Rodrigo Duterte, who is known for his public outbursts and brash rhetoric, said in televised remarks Monday night that he has become exasperated with people who refuse to get immunized then help spread the coronavirus.
"Don't get me wrong. There is a crisis being faced in this country. There is a national emergency. If you don't want to get vaccinated, I'll have you arrested and I'll inject the vaccine in your butt," Duterte said.
"If you will not agree to be vaccinated, leave the Philippines. Go to India if you want or somewhere, to America."
He went on to say that he would order village leaders to compile a list of defiant residents.
A human rights lawyer, Edre Olalia, raised concerns over Duterte's threat, saying the president could not order the arrest of anybody who has not clearly committed any crime.
Kazakhstan, meanwhile, warned on Tuesday that the more infectious delta variant of the coronavirus had reached its capital as other Central Asian countries saw fresh spikes in cases.
In Africa, the World Bank and the African Union said they would work together to accelerate COVID-19 vaccinations for up to 400 million people across Africa, bolstering efforts to vaccinate 60 per cent of the continent's population by 2022.
In the Americas, the so-called COVID-19 delta variant that was first detected in India now represents more than 20 per cent of coronavirus infections in the U.S. in the last two weeks, or double what it was when the Centers for Disease Control last reported on the variant's prevalence.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, warned that the U.S. could be following the United Kingdom's course, where the variant has become the dominant strain due to rapid spread among youth. Fauci said indications are that the COVID-19 vaccines remain effective against the variant.
In the Middle East, Turkey has kicked off Phase 3 clinical trials for its COVID-19 vaccine, named "Turkovac" by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who said the shot should be available for use by the end of the year.
Israel's prime minister says the country is in the grip of a "new outbreak" of the coronavirus after a spike in cases in the past week, most of them minors with the highly infectious delta variant of COVID-19.
Naftali Bennett said Tuesday that masks would be mandatory in Ben Gurion Airport and there would be more stringent testing of incoming travelers. Israel's Health Ministry reported 125 new coronavirus cases Tuesday, the highest daily number since late April.
In Europe, the mayor of Moscow announced new coronavirus restrictions on Tuesday, saying that "the situation with the coronavirus remains very difficult" in the Russian capital.
The country's state coronavirus task force reported 6,555 new COVID-19 cases in Moscow on Tuesday and 16,715 new infections across Russia, both tallies twice as high as a month ago.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin banned all entertainment and sports events at which more than 500 people are present.
Starting next Monday, all restaurants, cafés and bars in Moscow will only allow in customers who have been vaccinated against COVID-19, recovered from the virus within the past six months or can provide a negative coronavirus test carried out within 72 hours prior to the visit. To prove their eligibility, customers will need to obtain a QR code at one of several government websites.
- From The Associated Press and Reuters, last updated at 6:45 p.m. ET
With files from CBC News, The Associated Press and Reuters
