COVID-19 Ottawa:
Ottawa Public health is reporting nine new deaths related to COVID-19 Friday.
That’s in addition to seventeen new confirmed cases of the virus. 1885 cases have been reported in the Capital, as well as 220 deaths.
Albert Street Closed:
Ottawa Police are asking you to avoid Albert Street, between Preston and Booth, for the rest of the day Friday.
A pole has come down in the area, and officers are directing traffic at the scene. The force tweeted just after 2:00 pm that they expect the closure to last for ten hours, so it will likely be closed for the rest of Friday.
COVID-19 Ontario:
Ontario’s top Dr. David Williams is disappointed that the province’s COVID-19 numbers have plateaued.
Ontario’s growth rate in cases has steadily hovered between 1.5 and 1.9 per cent for 12 of the past 13 days.
There were 441 new cases today, and 28 more deaths.
COVID-19 Quebec:
Quebec is reporting 65 new deaths Friday, bringing the total to 3,865.
Quebec has 46,141 confirmed cases, an increase of 646, with 13,819 people recovered.
Trudeau Commits to Testing Funds:
The federal government will foot the bill for COVID-19 testing across the country.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his government will also help provinces track the contacts of those who test positive, and facilitate sharing data. Trudeau says testing and contact tracing are essential because COVID-19 remains a serious health threat.
He believes the economy can’t rebound until everyone feels confident that the novel coronavirus can be contained in the event of a new outbreak.
Scheer Wants Parliament To Resume:
Opposition Leader Andrew Scheer wants Parliament declared an essential service so a reduced number of MPs can resume their House of Commons duties amid the COVID-19 crisis.
Scheer says his Conservatives are proposing a motion to do that because he says daily briefings by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau from his home are not good enough to hold the government accountable.
He says MPs need to be able to ask questions on behalf of their constituents across the country.
Overbrook Death:
We’re still waiting for more details from Ottawa Police regarding a sudden death in Overbrook Friday.
So far we know police were called to Donald Street, near the Vanier Parkway, around 1:30 am, where a body was found.
No other details have been released.