COVID-19 In Ottawa Update:

The Ministry of Health has confirmed three new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa.

One of the patients is a girl under the age of 18, who recently traveled out of the country. A man in his 50’s has been hospitalized since being diagnosed, while another man, also in his 50’s contracted the virus through close contact.

There are now 24 confirmed cases in the capital.

COVID-19 Ontario Update, Non-Essential Businesses to Close:

78 new cases have been reported across Ontario, and the Provincial Government is taking a major step to try to flatten the curve.

Premier Doug Ford is ordering the closure of all non-essential businesses in the province. The order will go into effect at 11:59 tomorrow night, and will be in place for at least 14 days.

A list of the businesses that will be allowed to stay open will be released tomorrow, but the government says food will remain on the grocery store shelves and people will still have access to medication.

Doug Ford also suggested during a media conference this afternoon that the shut down of publicly-funded schools across the province will be extended. Ford says Education Minister Stephen Lecce and other officials are working under the assumption that students will not be back in class on April 6th, as originally planned. More details about that are expected to be released later this week.

Trudeau Calls For More Social Distancing:

The prime minister says enough is enough.

He’s telling Canadians to go home, and stay home to help control the spread of COVID-19.

Trudeau also announced that Canada is spending $192,000,000 on developing and producing vaccines for the novel Coronavirus. He says being prepared to mass-produce a vaccine will be essential for suppressing the novel Coronavirus in Canada in the long run. There are now more than 2000 confirmed COVID-19 cases across our country, that have lead to 24 deaths.

Help For Renters:

The Prime Minister is suggesting Tuesday’s legislative bailout package could help renters affected by the pandemic

The Liberals are asking the opposition parties and Senate to rapidly approve a $27-billion spending package, with a further $55-billion in tax breaks and available credit. But some of the benefits won’t flow for a few weeks and a new report suggests many renters may not be able to wait until the first aid flows next month.

Sports:

Canadian International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound has suggested the Summer Olympics will be postponed until next year.

There has been no final decision yet on whether or not the games will proceed in Tokyo this summer, but Canada has stressed that it will not be sending athletes unless the games are postponed.

Weather:

Snow tapering off to flurries tonight, with a risk of freezing drizzle overnight. We’ll drop to an overnight low of -2.

Mostly cloudy Tuesday, with a good chance of rain in the afternoon, and a risk of freezing drizzle early in the morning. Warming up to a high of 7.