For a Monday

The number of infected persons in Canada has risen to 15,512 and the death toll stands at 280.




Before everyone forgets, Justin sent 16 tonnes of aid to China, the same country that gave us this virus in the first place and is still screwing us over, that 3M didn't have a handle on gouging people in the direst of times, that criminal enterprises are sneaking desperately needed supplies out of Canada, that we were caught with out pants down and were woefully under-prepared for this crisis and still are:

Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Monday said the United States had blocked the delivery of nearly three million face masks at the American border over the weekend.

Ford said restrictions on shipments at the U.S. border have left the province with just one more week’s worth of personal protective equipment for health-care workers fighting the coronavirus outbreak in Ontario.

Well, let's see where we are now, Mr. Ford:

Last week, the U.S. began yanking protective masks out of the hands of other countries for its own use, including arranging the effective hijacking of a shipment of 3M masks from China that was originally headed for Germany and rerouting it to the States. U.S. President Donald Trump also told U.S.-based 3M it should stop shipping masks to Canada and Mexico and focus on its home country, if it knows what’s good for it.

But China did these things first. In February it commandeered foreign-owned factories that produce masks and medical equipment (while it accepted supplies donated by well-meaning countries like Canada). It began rapidly importing medical supplies while blocking exporters. Beijing just recently began re-allowing limited exports, apparently satisfied it has now properly supplied itself — although some of the N95 masks its sending to Canada and elsewhere have been found to be counterfeit or don’t work properly.

Of course it’s natural for China to put its own interests first in how it manages its medical supplies — and its coronavirus data. And, as the National Post’s Terry Glavin pointed out on Twitter the other day, Chinese authorities had already effectively acknowledged their data were flawed when they announced last week that they would now start including asymptomatic cases in their case numbers, which they hadn’t been doing before, essentially admitting they failed to report literally millions of cases. They revealed that the day before Hajdu scolded that CTV producer for questioning their data.

**

Canada’s top doctor is now recommending that people who don’t have symptoms of the novel coronavirus wear “non-medical” masks when in public as “an additional measure” to protect other people amid the pandemic.

There is growing evidence that people infected with COVID-19 are able to transmit the virus before they develop symptoms, Dr. Theresa Tam said during a daily news conference on Monday.

That's interesting because ... :

Second, non-medical masks like homemade masks still haven’t proven to protect the person wearing them from contracting the virus, everyone must still practice strict hygiene measures and distancing measures.

Third, wearing a homemade mask is an additional measure that Health Canada is considering for “protecting others around you as a way of you protecting others.”

She adds, “I want to make sure we have good advice around homemade masks and what materials are appropriate, so it is all under discussion right now.”

It sounds like like you're now covering your @$$, Theresa.


Not to fear, because people are trying out this proactive thing though months too late:

A British Columbia mill that makes a special recipe of pulp for surgical masks, gowns and other medical supplies has doubled up on its production for an American customer amid the COVID-19 crisis.

Harmac Pacific president Levi Sampson said their round-the-clock production at the mill near Nanaimo, B.C., has been diverted to make the medical-grade pulp.

“We’ve never had a doubling for this grade of pulp, so you can tell that there’s some supply problems out there,” Sampson said.

There are more than 300 full-time workers at the mill and Sampson said the employees take pride in going to work because of the product they’re producing.

“Every day it seems to be more and more health-care professionals are talking about either lack of supplies or worried about it in future,” Sampson said.

Sampson said Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland called him Saturday wanting to know more about the business, where the company’s product goes and to congratulate Harmac employees “for continuing to run and be able to produce a product that will eventually make its way to the front lines.”

(Sidebar: why didn't Justin do it? He's had twenty-five days to think about it.)

Canada has 15,407 cases and 277 deaths.
Israel has 8,018 cases and only 47 deaths.
Taiwan has 345 cases and 5 deaths.

The numbers are a reflection of Trudeau's policy. Is it any wonder that he doesn't want to release the projections? #Cdnpoli #COVID19 https://t.co/qUaMwnO3k4

— David Jacobs (@DrJacobsRad) April 5, 2020

 

Now, having said this, kernels of wisdom emerge even if too late and probably will not be acted on:

When our assembly lines start, we aren’t going to stop them. Ontario will be the manufacturing support that Canada needs right now in supplying much needed medical supplies to get through this pandemic. pic.twitter.com/4EYQHzlPHe

— Doug Ford (@fordnation) April 4, 2020

Oh, dear:

A COVID-19 outbreak has been declared at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton's Special Care Nursery after three healthcare workers tested positive for the new coronavirus.

Public health officials, along with the hospital, confirmed the outbreak in a media release Monday.

"No babies or parents in the unit are symptomatic. All are being monitored closely," according to the release, adding medical evidence so far shows babies typically experience mild symptoms of COVID-19 and recover.

What will you give these unfortunates? The money we don't have?:

Days before Canada announced more than $100 million in new foreign aid to fight COVID-19, a federal minister and a leading aid advocate said the country can't afford to scrimp on its overseas spending in fighting COVID-19.

Still angling for that UN, huh?

This UN:

The United Nations is facing a "dire" liquidity crisis as it deals with added expenses related to the need to "respond to the global health crisis" of coronavirus, according to an email from Movses Abelian, the U.N. undersecretary general for General Assembly and conference management.

Oh, well.




Because priorities:

Any new pandemic relief bill must include the rollback of a fifty percent increase in the carbon tax, say Conservative MPs. House leaders are negotiating a return of Parliament into emergency session to pass a $71 billion wage subsidy bill: “We don’t believe it makes any sense.”

(Sidebar: why not all of it?)

** 

Cabinet has replaced top management of the Crown-financed Canada Infrastructure Bank only nine weeks after MPs ordered an audit of all federal infrastructure spending. The Prime Minister gave no explanation: “If they know, they aren’t telling us.”

(Sidebar: oh, but you would tell us if knew, right, Justin?)


Also:

2/ “They aren’t telling us details of each dollar, where it went,” said @PBO_DPB Chief Yves Giroux. MPs asked 9 weeks ago for audit of $186.7 billion in Infrastructure Bank spending. Cabinet objected to audit, lost vote in the Commons. @INFC_eng @cathmckenna #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/tL2KE2koB9

— Holly Doan (@hollyanndoan) April 6, 2020

 

**

More federal aid for corporate media is untenable amid mammoth pandemic-related job cuts in other industries, says Opposition Leader Andrew Scheer. A publishers’ lobby that earlier won a $595 million federal bailout complained of crashing advertising revenues: “There’s a lot of hurt out there.”

**

Canada Day may be cancelled, says the Department of Canadian Heritage. Public health officers have warned July 1 would coincide with an expected second wave of pandemic infections: ‘The top priority is health.’  

Canada is just a "post-national" state and stuff, right?


But I bet Justin would roll out the red carpet for China, right?

This China:

Mainland China reported 39 new coronavirus cases as of Sunday, up from 30 a day earlier, and the number of asymptomatic cases also surged, as Beijing continued to struggle to extinguish the outbreak despite drastic containment efforts.

**

Communist authorities in China are using efforts to control the coronavirus pandemic to step up enforcement action against Christians who worship in house churches, government insiders have told the human rights and religious freedom publication Bitter Winter.

Where is that oil sector now?


Oh, there it is:

But now, after the collapse, our industry needs a hand up. The federal government has stepped in and proposed to backstop wages for Canadian companies up to 75 per cent, which is excellent news. Many layoffs will be avoided and many organizations will be helped to withstand the sudden and hopefully short-term shock of the COVID-19 pandemic. When it comes to damage, however, our services sector is in a category of its own. After five years of a downturn, and many critical wounds, we have nothing left with which to fight. That is why we are asking the prime minister to implement specific policies to save our industry.

Specifically, the Canadian drilling and service rig sector needs the federal government to introduce a payroll relief plan. We’re also asking the federal government to purchase our accounts receivable — at a discount. Doing this would give our companies instant cash flow and the federal government could collect these debts at a profit as oil prices recover.

That won't happen, I'm afraid. This government hates oil, Alberta, low taxes, well ... anything that makes sense, really.


Also:

Oil prices skidded on Monday after Saudi-Russian output discussions showed no immediate signs of progress while U.S. stock futures jumped as investors were encouraged by a slowdown in coronavirus-related deaths and new cases.

Japan declares a state of emergency:

After weekslong pressure from public health officials and lawmakers, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Monday the government would declare a state of emergency as soon as Tuesday covering Tokyo, Osaka and five other prefectures amid the growing outbreak of COVID-19, in a step that will empower prefectures to take restrictive measures.

The prime minister is slated to designate authorities in the seven prefectures subject to emergency measures. The declaration also will cover Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Hyogo and Fukuoka prefectures, Abe said in a briefing at the Prime Minister's Office.

“(The declaration) is estimated to last a period of one month,” Abe said. “This state of emergency declaration is to ensure the medical care system stays intact and to ask for even more cooperation from the public to avoid contact with each other to reduce infection as much as possible.”

Also:

As the clock counts down towards the start of a new school semester, parents and guardians across the country face a uniquely unenviable choice: whether or not to send their children back to school as Japan grapples with COVID-19.

For those in big metropolitan areas such as Tokyo and Osaka, the decision has been taken out of their hands. Most wards in Tokyo will postpone school opening until May, while some Osaka municipalities are slated to remain closed until April 19 or later.

In late February, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe asked all schools across the country to close as the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19 spread from China. The vast majority of elementary, junior high and high schools complied. Some reopened Monday, holding commencement ceremonies.

But many schools in prefectures and cities where there have been fewer cases reported so far have already reopened or plan to do so. Many parents are unsure how to respond.

I doubt that she's really from Edmonton:

The federal government has refused to grant a Canadian passport to a 31-year-old Edmonton woman alleged to have once held a senior position in the militant group al-Shabaab.

Ayan Abdirahman Jama, a Canadian citizen, applied for a judicial review on July 31, 2019, after losing her bid to obtain a Canadian passport, according to documents filed in the Federal Court of Canada obtained by CBC News Friday.

"A passport will not be issued in your name, as there are reasonable grounds to believe that this decision is necessary to prevent the commission of a terrorism offence," states a letter from the minister of Public Safety Canada (PSC) dated Feb. 8, 2018.

The PSC letter came after Jama applied to renew her passport in 2015.

How to celebrate Holy Week during this time:

With Easter approaching, Jerusalem’s clergy are getting ready to celebrate one of the oldest traditions of Christian orthodox and Catholic religions via modern means.

Israel has imposed tight restrictions on public gatherings to curb the spread of COVID-19, on Monday barring gatherings of more than two people who are not in the same family, with few exceptions, forcing clergymen to get creative with celebrating the annual Palm Sunday procession in Jerusalem.

Also known as Passion Sunday, the day narrates the biblical story of Jesus’ triumphant arrival in Jerusalem before his crucifixion, with palm leaves and clothing laid in his path, replete with mass processions and sharing of palm leaves.

(Sidebar: it's not so much a story as it is an actual event. Is the Renaissance a fairy tale, too?)

Unable to coordinate mass processions and Sunday masses due to the threat of the virus, faith leaders instead turned to Facebook and other social media to live-stream video and audio from inside the cathedrals and churches. Some handed out palm leaves drenched in bleach to volunteers dressed in protective wear or distributed the sanitized leaves to passing cars.

“We are living in strange days. Usually at this time the Old City was full of …pilgrims coming for Holy Week,” said Father Francesco Patton, 56, the custodian of the Holy Land for the Roman Catholic church, responsible for protecting its sacred sites. He has urged the Israeli government to allow freedom of worship inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

It is traditional during Easter, to walk along the Via Dolorosa, a winding route from the Antonia Fortress to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, to commemorate the journey believed to be taken by Jesus to his crucifixion and resurrection. This year, only Patton and his Franciscans walked the route, conforming with social distancing guidelines as they stopped at the 14 Stations of the Cross that marked events leading to Jesus’ burial.