The owner of an Arizona gift shop pulled a gun on a customer after the two got into an argument over the store’s “no mask” policy.  Scott Cerkoney, owner of Teeslangers, contacted the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office in November to report that a customer had gotten physical in his Cave Creek store.   The altercation spawned after Cerkoney asked … Read more

The provincial government says police don’t have the authority to randomly stop residents to ensure they’re following the stay-at-home order that took effect yesterday. Under the order, Ontarians are to go out only for essential purposes such as health-care, food and exercise, in an effort to bring down soaring COVID-19 cases. But a spokesman for Solicitor General Sylvia Jones says … Read more

As of midnight, the provincial stay-at-home order announced earlier this week is now in full force. The new rule requires people to stay at home except for essential activities, but it doesn’t specify what’s considered essential. The province says it left that up to interpretation since different people consider different things essential. Premier Ford has urged people to use their … Read more

The CDC will start requiring all international travelers coming into the U.S. to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test in order to enter the country, sources close to the decision told the Wall Street Journal.    Global testing requirements would be an expansion on a Trump administration policy barring UK travelers without a negative test from entry, which was announced … Read more

Effective Thursday, January 14, 2021at 12:01 a.m., the government is issuing a stay-at-home order requiring everyone to remain at home with exceptions for permitted  purposes or activities, such as going to the grocery store or pharmacy, accessing health care services, for exercise or for work where the work cannot be done remotely. This order and other new and existing public … Read more

The Stay At Home Order Kicks In At Midnight:

Premier Ford has announced a new stay-at-home order and declared another state of emergency to try to curb soaring COVID-19 infection rates. Ford says residents will be required to remain home starting at midnight, except for essential activities such as grocery shopping or medical appointments. Non-essential stores will also be required … Read more

In Quebec a four-week-long curfew has been implemented, which requires residents to stay in their homes from 8pm until 5am.  As with all restrictions, there are a few exemptions to the rule – for essential workers who need to travel and also for those who need to walk their dogs.  One woman reportedly attempted to use the latter exemption for … Read more

Senior government sources say an overnight curfew like the one imposed in Quebec will not be among new measures to fight soaring cases of COVID-19 in Ontario. The sources confirm that public health officials have not recommended the provincial cabinet implement a curfew. Premier Ford met with his cabinet yesterday to discuss additional restrictions, as the total number of COVID-19 … Read more

More than 75% of people diagnosed with COVID-19 have at least one symptom of the disease six months after they were infected with the virus, a study published Friday by The Lancet found.  Fatigue and muscle weakness were the most common persistent symptoms, affecting more than 60% of study participants.  In addition, about one in four participants reported sleep difficulties … Read more

The hospitality industry will continue to face an unprecedented level of challenges amid the coronavirus pandemic in 2021, and success will rely on how companies and individual properties respond to the key trends that are poised to shape the year ahead. With some valuable insight from data and analytics company GlobalData, here are some of the notable hospitality trends … Read more

Premier Doug Ford is warning that, “turbulent waters” lie ahead in the fight against COVID19. He says modelling data that’s expected to be released tomorrow does not look good. Ford says the health-care system is on the brink of being overwhelmed, so people need to do all they can to limit their contacts and stop the spread of … Read more

Health Canada says the COVID19 vaccine from US biotech firm Moderna is safe for use in Canada. The vaccine is the second to be greenlit in Canada, following the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine on Dec. 9. Moderna anticipates starting shipments to Canada within the next 48 hours. Up to 168,000 doses are set to arrive by the end of December, and two … Read more

The country’s deputy chief public health officer says the biggest problem with COVID19 in Canada now is community transmission. Dr. Howard Njoo says Canadians can’t be stopped from travelling abroad, though the federal government is strongly advising against it. His comments come after Ontario Premier Doug Ford blasted the federal government for not being tough enough at airports. Ford is … Read more

All of Ontario is going into lockdown starting on Boxing Day, as the province is battling soaring COVID19 cases. The same restrictions will apply across the province that are currently in place across most of the GTA and Windsor-Essex. Those include the closure of non-essential businesses and fitness facilities, no indoor dining and more. The businesses that do remain open … Read more

Today at 1pm, Premier Ford will hold a news conference to announce that all regions in Ontario will be placed into the grey-lockdown stage starting Christmas Eve. The move will restrict non-essential retail, close gyms and prohibit indoor dining right across the province starting at 12:01 am on Thursday. The length of the lockdown will vary depending on region. Full … Read more

The NHL is considering having all seven Canadian teams play the upcoming season in the United States, according to multiple media reports. The NHL was reportedly planning to realign its divisions for the 2020-21 campaign with a seven-team, all-Canadian division that would play domestically in Canada with no cross-border travel. However, recent reports suggest that every Canadian team may have … Read more

Premier Ford says a variety of potential new measures are being considered as COVID19 cases continue to rapidly increase across the province. Ford says the province won’t impose a curfew but needs to weigh how further lockdowns could affect a number of sectors. He says if new lockdowns are imposed, the province will need to give people time to prepare.… Read more

US Senator Angus King came up with an interesting idea to keep people at home during the holidays and to avoid gatherings: free streaming. King has written a letter to all six of the largest streaming services asking them to make their platforms free over the holidays. He’s arguing that if people have complimentary access to Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, HBO … Read more

Toronto’s mayor says he is looking into creating stricter COVID19 regulations for the city. Mayor John Tory says although the city is already in the lockdown tier of Ontario’s COVID19 framework, more needs to be done. Tory says he and other leaders from the GTHA are discussing using the winter holidays to “lock down even further.” He says people are … Read more

The Canada Revenue Agency says it is introducing a simplified process to claim up to $400-dollars in office expenses for Canadians working from home during the COVID19 pandemic. The process will allow employees to claim these expenses as deductions on their personal income tax return for the 2020 tax year. Eligible employees can claim a deduction if they worked … Read more

The Ontario Hospital Association’s board of directors will meet today for an emergency discussion about rising COVID19 infections in the province. The OHA says it’s deeply concerned by the worsening pandemic and related pressure on hospitals. The unplanned meeting was called in response to the situation. As of yesterday morning, there were 921 people hospitalized with COVID19 in Ontario, including … Read more

Experts say the ingredients in the COVID19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and German partner BioNTech, which was authorized last week by Health Canada, looks pretty standard for a vaccine.  In a letter to the FDA, Pfizer listed the ingredients in its vaccine.… Read more

A personal support worker at a Toronto long-term care home has become the first person in Ontario to get a COVID19 vaccination. Anita Quidangen was among a group of five workers from the Rekai Centre nursing home getting immunized yesterday at the University Health Network in Toronto. The province says Quidangen has worked throughout a COVID19 outbreak at the home. … Read more

Canada’s first batch of COVID19 vaccines landed in Montreal last night, and the Ontario government says it expects to start administering doses sometime this week. The province has not publicly confirmed when the first shots will be given — but it has said they’ll go to health-care workers on the front lines. Even more doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine are … Read more

The Liberal government has put forward a new bill that would revise some of the federal election rules, should a federal vote be called during the pandemic. The bill, tabled in the House of Commons yesterday, would spread voting out over three days. It would also add nearly two weeks of advance polls in long-term care homes and make it … Read more

Ontario will start COVID19 vaccinations at hospitals in Toronto and Ottawa on Tuesday. Premier Ford says a very small number of doses are expected to arrive in the coming days. He says health-care workers in long-term care homes will be the first to receive their shots. The University Health Network in Toronto and the Ottawa Hospital will be the first … Read more

Following Health Canada’s first approval of a COVID19 vaccine, Deputy Chief Public Health Officer Doctor Howard Njoo says he expects nearly 10 per cent of Canadians to be vaccinated by the end of March. About 249,000 doses of the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech are due to arrive in Canada by the end of December. Health Canada is reviewing … Read more

Health Minister Christine Elliot says the provincial government will not make the COVID19 vaccine mandatory in Ontario. But Elliott says the province will issue proof of vaccination that may be necessary to take part in some activities once the worst of the pandemic passes. She says those who opt not to get immunized could face restrictions on travel, access to … Read more

The United Kingdom has begun its COVID19 vaccination program with grandmother Margaret Keenan, who turns 91 next week, being the first person to get the shot. Keenan received the injection at University Hospital Coventry at 6:31am local time. She says she feels “so privileged to be the first person vaccinated against COVID19.” Health officials are asking the public for patience … Read more

One medical expert claims COVID-19 could cause erectile dysfunction.  The doctor told NBC’s Chicago affiliate the virus has also left some male patients short on their ability in the bedroom.  “We now know that people can have long term health effects from this virus, neurologic complications, and now, for men who are watching this — there is some real … Read more

Shipments of the coronavirus vaccine developed by American drugmaker Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech have been delivered in the UK in super-cold containers. The deliveries arrived yesterday, two days before it goes public in an immunization program that is being closely watched around the world. Tuesday will be the start of Britain’s biggest-ever immunization program. Around 800,000 doses of the vaccine … Read more

Canada is inching closer to have its first “approved vaccine” against COVID19. Senior officials with Health Canada say final documents from the American drugmaker Pfizer are expected sometime today. The paperwork would spell out just which production lots of the vaccine will be shipped, and when they can be expected to arrive. Health Canada’s chief medical adviser says … Read more

An organization representing Ontario’s hospitals says the ongoing surge in COVID19 cases is making it hard to carry on with other procedures. The Ontario Hospital Association says there are significant capacity issues, particularly in intensive care units. Health experts have warned that having more than 150 COVID19 patients in intensive care could cause surgeries to be cancelled. The province has … Read more

Drugmakers Pfizer and BioNTech say the UK has granted permission for the emergency use of their COVID19 vaccine. This morning’s announcement sets up Britain to be one of the first countries to kick-start its vaccination efforts as COVID19 case counts spike during the second wave. Still, other countries aren’t far behind, with the United States and the European Union … Read more

With the federal deficit closing in on $400-billion-dollars this fiscal year, the Trudeau government says there is even more spending ahead. The government says it’s to help Canadians get through the economic storm created by the COVID19 pandemic. The fall economic update delivered by Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland looks beyond the pandemic, to where the Liberals see the economy going … Read more

A math genius who says he predicted the course of the coronavirus pandemic has offered his theory of a solution.  Luthais McCash, research fellow at the University of Leicester, says he has made various warnings about leaving lockdown too early – and that all of his COVID19 theories have so far come true.  McCash, 26, specializes in applied mathematics and … Read more

Police and bylaw officers fined businesses, charged anti-maskers and busted at least one big party in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area over the weekend. Peel Regional Police say bylaw officers broke up a party at a short-term rental unit with 60 attendees — and they issued 27 fines of $880 dollars each, plus three summons. Bylaw officers in York … Read more

Health officials say COVID19 case counts in Ontario appear to be flattening slightly, but warn it’s too early to say whether the province has turned a corner when it comes to the second wave. New data released yesterday show that if current trends continue, new daily cases at the end of December could be similar to what they are now, … Read more

Trudeau Again Defending the Vaccine Procurement:

The prime minister is again rejecting claims his government has botched Canada’s COVID vaccine readiness. Justin Trudeau told the House of Commons yesterday that numerous vaccine manufacturers closed their facilities or moved out of Canada in years when Conservative governments were in power. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh calls that absurd and is expressing dismay … Read more

Ontario’s response to COVID19 was slow, reactive and hampered by “delays and confusion in decision-making.” That’s according to the province’s auditor general, who released a special report yesterday examining Ontario’s emergency management of the pandemic. Bonnie Lysyk says outdated provincial emergency plans, old IT systems and lack of laboratory surge capacity slowed down the response in the winter … Read more