Thu 23 December 2021:
Ottawa announced on Wednesday that it would expand support programs to assist people and businesses affected by the Omicron coronavirus variant, warning that the virus’ spread would make things worse.
The country’s chief public health officer, Theresa Tam, warned Canadians to be cautious, saying at a press conference that “the situation can quickly get out of hand anywhere.”
Several of Canada’s ten provinces have reimposed restrictions due to the highly contagious Omicron variant.
“I do not want to minimize … the fact that we are in for some even tougher times ahead. That is true and that is really hard,” said Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.
To date, there have been 2,360 confirmed Omicron cases in Canada. On Tuesday, the number of new cases per day increased to 11,300.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he knew Canadians didn’t want to face another threat after three members of his staff and three members of his security detail tested positive.
“None of us want to be here – we’re tired of COVID, we want it to just go away,” he said in the same briefing.
The three most populous Canadian provinces, Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia, have announced a slew of restrictions to combat Omicron, which business groups have warned will disproportionately affect restaurants and bars.
At the briefing, Freeland stated that Ottawa is temporarily expanding programs to cover the costs of wages and rent.
This extension, which will last until February 12, 2022, will benefit businesses whose capacity has been reduced by 50% or more as a result of COVID-19-fighting measures.
The three most populous Canadian provinces, Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia, have announced a slew of restrictions to combat Omicron, which business groups have warned will disproportionately affect restaurants and bars.
At the briefing, Freeland stated that Ottawa is temporarily expanding programs to cover the costs of wages and rent.
This extension, which will last until February 12, 2022, will benefit businesses whose capacity has been reduced by 50% or more as a result of COVID-19-fighting measures.
The announcement, according to Alla Drigola Birk of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, “will be critical to [help] businesses operate safely during this phase of the pandemic.”
In October, Ottawa announced that it was scaling back much of its pandemic-related assistance, citing the improving economy and the success of vaccination efforts as reasons.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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