Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer is now advising Canadians to wear “non-medical” masks to reduce the risk that asymptomatic people will spread SARS-CoV-2. The change in advice comes amid increasing evidence of transmission by people unaware they have the virus, said Dr. Theresa Tam. Physical distancing and handwashing are still critical to reduce transmission, she cautioned.

New research published in Nature indicated that surgical masks may help to reduce emission of coronavirus into the environment via respiratory droplets and aerosols.  This notice and picture below appears on the April 6, 2020 Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) website: 
cmajnews.com/2020/04/06/coronavirus-1095847/ 

The CMAJ is a peer reviewed​ general medical journal that publishes  original clinical research, commentaries, analyses, and reviews of clinical topics, health news, clinical practice updates 

"Applications for the government's emergency benefit opened today.  Canadians needing financial help to ride out the COVID-19 crisis can apply for a new benefit which provides about $2,000 a month.  

Those born in the first three months of the year will have first crack at applying. To ensure the portal can handle the expected high volume of applications and the system is not overloaded, the government has staggered application periods over the work week based on an applicant's month of birth. 
​

The federal government opened its application portal at 6:00 a.m. today.  Canadians facing unemployment due to the COVID-19 crisis can apply for emergency income support benefits under the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB).  Service Canada and Canada Revenue Agency are jointly administering the CERB. Canadians can go to Canada.ca for information

Applicants who set up direct deposit are expected to receive a first payment within three to five days. Those who use mail should receive a first payment within 10 days. Payment is $2,000 a month for up to four months.
People who are normally eligible for employment insurance (EI) can continue to apply through EI and Service Canada, and they will automatically be enrolled in CERB.
​
The CERB offers income support for people who have stopped working due to the pandemic, including those not eligible for EI, contract employees and freelancers."

The  two ways to apply for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit are:

1. Online with CRA My Account (If you are applying online, you will need a MY CRA Account)https://www.canada.ca/.../e-serv.../account-individuals.html this option is recommended; or
2. Over the phone with an automated phone service at 1-800-959-2019

Days to apply:

Mondays: if you were born in January, February or March

Tuesdays: if you were born in April, May or June

Wednesdays: if you were born in July, August or September

Thursdays: if you were born in October, November or December

Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays: any birth month

With the COVID-19 #Stay Home, Save Lives, good time to prep the gardens, prune the bushes... City of Oshawa yard waste pick-up season has begun! 

All GO trains and buses will continue to operate but with reduced frequency. Rail service will run every 60-90 minutes at times of day each line generally has service. Bus service will also be reduced and adjusted to align with train service. UP Express will continue to operate every 30 minutes.

Revised GO Train schedules are available here: gotransit.com/trainschedulechanges
All trains on branch lines will be reduced to six coaches in order to make better use of resources while ridership is low. You will need to adjust where you wait on the platform depending on your station.

Revised GO Bus schedules are available here: gotransit.com/busschedulechanges

Each day of the Food Drive for Feed the Need in Durham, at the Delpark Homes Centre there were many donations.

According to City staff, although slow to start on Tuesday, each day following - Wednesday, Thursday and Friday - the bins were overflowing with additional boxes and bags on the ground beside them.

This picture was taken at the end of the food drive with Steve who monitored the drive-by drop-offs, awaiting the last pick-up by Feed the Need. 

Thank you to all who took the time and gave generously!  As everyone knows, we are all in this together and have a role to try and help in whatever way we can.

To those who say a donation of money is better, yes. But, as many of the drop-in shelters have pantries with shelves stocked for those in need to pick up food and supplies, these food drives are helpful.

First,  from CBC coverage about what happened in Ottawa:

The federal economic aid legislation passed today. Yesterday it was to be $82 billion, but it "increased sharply to $107 billion because the forthcoming emergency response benefit is more generous and will be available to more people."
The $27 billion in direct support payments was bumped to $52 billion, and plus there is the additional $55 billion in tax deferrals.
3 parts of the bill "were removed or amended, notably the sections that granted the government unlimited tax-and-spend powers until the end of 2021. As written, the bill now grants the government unlimited spending power until June 2020. The legislation also includes "sunset clauses," so that parts of the bill come to an end if they're not reauthorized by Parliament through legislation."
"Canadian workers over the age of 15 who have earned more than $5,000 in the last 12 months but are now earning no income because of the COVID-19 pandemic would qualify. Workers, including freelancers, will have access to the CERB even if they do not have access to the current employment insurance (EI) program."
I like the words of Conservative Senate Leader Don Plett spoken in the Chamber today: "Few of us could have imagined being where we are today, but here we are. We are in this together, and together – with God's help – we will get through it."


Second, from TVO coverage about what happened at Queen's Park in Toronto:

►$3.3 billion in new health-care spending, including $1 billion in funding for hospitals to meet emergency needs, $243 million for long-term-care homes, $160 million in public-health spending, and $61 million for vaccines;
►$3.7 billion in supports for people and businesses to contain the economic damage of COVID-19, including doubling the provincial benefit for low-income seniors (GAINS), suspending OSAP payments for six months, and increasing the exemption for the Employee Health Tax so that businesses with a payroll of $1 million and under will not need to pay the EHT until January 1, 2021;
►$10 billion in tax and premium deferrals, delaying both WSIB payments and provincially administered taxes (including tobacco, alcohol, and gasoline taxes) for six and five months, respectively;
►$1.8 billion in property-tax deferrals for municipalities, which will have 90 extra days before disbursing taxes they collect to school boards, giving cities more flexibility with that money; and
►A new corporate income-tax credit, the Regional Opportunities Investment Tax Credit, will give businesses a 10 per cent refundable tax credit for certain investments made outside of Ottawa and the Greater Golden Horseshoe.

The Province is now projecting a $20 billion deficit, nearly triple what it had previously projected for the 2020-21 fiscal year (a deficit of $6.7 billion).