The Weather Network forecasts a wet seek for Toronto with possibly 5 mm on Wednesday and somewhere between 5 and 10 mm on Thursday.

Ontario has announced an additional 32 new cases of COVID-19 Monday. Eleven of the cases are in Toronto. The daily increase number is down from the 42 new cases that the province confirmed on Saturday which may offer a slim hope that the outbreak curve is being flattened. But the double-digit number still represents much larger increases than previously seen. There are now some 177 cases of COVID-19 infection reported in Ontario.

Foreign arrivals to be sent to Montreal, Toronto, Calgary or Vancouver

The government is apparently ready to announce flight restrictions that will see international flights rerouted to Montreal, Toronto, Calgary or Vancouver for dedicated enhanced screening. It was indicated on Friday that the number of Canadian airports these flights could come into would soon be limited.

Trucks will keep running say suppliers

Top federal public health officer Theresa Tam Sunday urged Canadians to act swiftly and firmly to combat the COVID-19 pandemic even as retailers and top politicians reassured the country that any restrictive measures would not result in shortages of food or other basics. Both the Retail Council of Canada and Prime Minister Trudeau said supplies of groceries and other basics would continue to flow even if the outbreak of the novel coronavirus triggered widespread store or border closures. But Ms Tam said collective action is needed immediately: “Our window to flatten the curve of the epidemic is narrow,” she said at a news conference. “We all need to act now. COVID-19 is a serious public health threat.”

No need for buying panic retailers, suppliers insist

The Retail Council of Canada said the current high demand for food, toilet paper and other staples is understandable as the number of positive cases continues to climb but it urged Canadians not to succumb to panic. Suppliers say that about 70 percent of commonly purchased items are produced domestically, ensuring their continued availability in Canadian stores. Fresh produce and other items being imported into the country at this time of year may see temporary sell-outs but retailers have suppliers in a variety of countries and have contingency plans in place.

One customer’s haul; at Metro. Family of 12?

Flattening the curve

The coronavirus threat is far from over but it is finally clear across South Bayview that people are gripped by new knowledge of the threat. The reaction ranges from thoughtful residents concerned about the elderly who may not be able to shop for themselves to supermarket alerts. Hugh Grant of the Bennington Heights Residents Association wrote to members on Saturday about one volunteer ready to shop for others. Sunday morning there is a post at Leaside Community heralding the arrival of toilet paper to the shelves of Loblaws at Eglinton and Dunfield. There’s a limit of two packs per person.  And another person has posted the picture above of the purchases of a customer at Metro Saturday. Her comment is: “Come on, people.” FB

Will travel restrictions leave some Canadians stranded?

The federal government urged Canadians abroad to return home while they still have a chance as countries around the world impose ever-tighter travel restrictions in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19. Word from Global Affairs Canada came on Saturday as Canadians travelling in Europe scrambled to book flights ahead of looming border closures in many European Union countries. “Airlines have cancelled flights. New restrictions may be imposed with little warning. Your travel plans may be severely disrupted and you may be forced to remain outside of Canada longer than expected,” the ministry said in a statement.

US extends travel ban to UK, Ireland

The US has now stopped all flights to and from Europe, including the UK and Ireland. The World Health Organization has declared that Europe is the new centre of the pandemic. Some estimates suggest there are 10,000 cases in Britain alone. ABC

Ontario confirmed 39 news cases of coronavirus infection Sunday bringing the provincial total to 142. There were 24 new cases reported Saturday and 19 on Friday. Fourteen of the new cases are in Toronto, five in Peel Region, three in York Region and two in Durham Region. There are three new cases in Hamilton. The government will announce a further update Sunday afternoon as testing continues.

Édith Blais, centre, and Luca Tacchetto, left, meet with Canada’s ambassador to Mali, Michael Elliott, after being found in Mali. (MINUSMA, the UN Mission in Mali)

The CBC says a Canadian woman, Edith Blais, 34, of Sherbrooke, has apparently escaped captivity after having been abducted with a travelling companion in West Africa 15 months. Ms Blais and Luca Tacchetto 30, had been travelling by car in southwestern Burkina Faso, heading to Togo to do volunteer work, when they vanished around December 15, 2018. They were last seen in the city of Bobo-Dioulasso in southwestern Burkino Faso. The UN mission in Mali has now confirmed to the CBC that the pair is free in neighbouring Mali. The UN said preliminary information suggested Blais and Tacchetto escaped their captors. A civilian vehicle then found them near Kidal and took them to a United Nations camp.

Getting ready to close the border?

It has been a frantic Friday for COVID-19 planning in Canada. The CBC podcast here with the prime minister contains a suggestion that the government may be close to shutting the border to contain the spread of the epidemic. The Conservative opposition has called for it.  While that was happening, the Bank of Canada announced a surprise cut in its base rate. Other good news included a partial bounce back on the Toronto and New York stock markets.

Toronto to shut down all programs til early April

Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eileen de Villa has announced the suspension of all City programs and closure of facilities until April 5. They are:

• City-operated March Break camps are cancelled
• All licensed child care centres
• Community and recreation centres, greenhouses and conservatories, arenas, pools, fitness centres, and ski hills are closed
• Libraries are closed
• City-operated museums and galleries are closed
• Council and Committee meetings are suspended for the current meeting cycle
• Public consultations are suspended
• All event permits for City facilities, including civic centres, recreation facilities, and parks are cancelled (wedding ceremony permits for civic centre Wedding Chambers will be honoured)

Merchants, suppliers say stop worrying about toilet paper

As posted previously, there were controlled panic purchases of such things like toilet paper and paper towels. Unlike Venezuela, Canada can and will continue to make, deliver and market paper products in abundance. Richard Southern touches on this aspect of the economy here.

Friday has seen large crowds shopping for food and household supplies across South Bayview. The phenomenon appears to have been triggered by the cancellation of league sports, travel limitations and enormous losses on stock markets. Behind it all, COVID-19. At Longo’s, lines stretched down aisles and across the store. One shopper guessed she would be 30 minutes checking out. Another called it the Zombie Apocalypse. Some shoppers abandoned their filled carts and left the store rather than wait. At Loblaws on Moore Ave., staff scrambled to refill shelves but seemed unable to keep up with the demand for paper towels, meat, soup, eggs and milk. There were absolutely no bananas, paper towels or maple flavoured cereals.

Rose and Greg Yerex survived COVID-19

March Madness cancelled

Carole O’Cinneide at Sleuth Saturday

Pink Day at Davisville Public School

Metro Inc at Eglinton and Bayview

The world is struggling for context as this tumultuous week nears an end. The National Post offers the reflections of Rose and Greg Yerex. They survived the coronavirus infection and now say that claustrophobia was the worst symptom. Then at the upper right, an escape into a comic-book style hitwoman’s odd world Saturday when author Carole O’Cinneide visits Sleuth of Baker Street on Millwood Rd. between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Centre left, sadly March Madness weekend has been cancelled because of the virus epidemic. Lower left is a happy glimpse of how one person celebrated Pink Day at Davisville Public School. At lower right is evidence of the odd paper panic associated with coronavirus fear. This scene is from the Metro store at Bayview and Eglinton.

The province will close all public schools in Ontario for two weeks following March Break in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic. In a release, the government said it made the decision on “advice from Dr. David Williams, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health and the experts at the COVID-19 Command Table.” The order, which will see schools closed from March 14 when March Break begins — until April 5 — has been approved by the Lieutenant Governor in Council. Education minister’s remarks

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s wife Sophie has tested positive for COVID-19.  The announcement was made late Thursday after both the prime minister and Mrs Trudeau went into self-isolation earlier in the day. The decision forced the cancellation of an in-person meeting of Canada’s first ministers. The Prime Minister’s Office says Sophie Gregoire Trudeau returned from a speaking engagement in the UK and began exhibiting mild flu-like symptoms, including a low fever late Wednesday night.

Ontario announces 17 new cases for a total of 59

Ontario reported 17 new cases of novel coronavirus infection bringing the total number of cases including recoveries to 59. Two of the new cases are in Waterloo Region, one is in Barrie and nine in Toronto. One is in Ottawa, one in Hamilton, two in Peel Region and one in Halton Region. They range in age from an infant boy at North York General Hospital boy. He is related to a previously announced case. A Mississauga man in his 70s who recently returned from the US was also diagnosed. Eight of the new cases reported recent travel to the United States or its territory of Puerto Rico, One case recently returned from Italy, another returned from Spain and another returned from a myriad of travel across Europe.