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Canada crosses 1 million cases amid third wave of coronavirus

WION Web Team
Quebec, CanadaUpdated: Apr 04, 2021, 08:40 AM IST
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Photograph:(Reuters)

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Students have been allowed to go to schools for in-person classes and the government has not asked locals to stay indoors as a compulsion

Canada has registered more than one million coronavirus cases since the pandemic began last year, with a death tally of nearly 23,000.

As British Colombia registered 2,000 new cases on Saturday, Canada crossed the threshold of one million Covid cases, as per data revealed by the Canadian broadcasters.

This has come as the country is entering a third of the deadly virus amid a surge of cases due to the rapid spread of the new variants, which are being believed to be more contagious.

The increase in the number of cases has also led to stricter restrictions, especially in the two most populous provinces, Ontario and Quebec.

As the locals celebrated Easter, the authorities tightened the restrictions and health measures, especially in Ontario which has registered more than a third of Canada’s cases in the past month.

The government has announced that non-essential businesses can operate on a 25 per cent capacity, while the rest can accommodate 50 per cent capacity.

However, other services such as sports stadiums, hair salons and more will stay close.

Students have been allowed to go to schools for in-person classes and the government has not asked locals to stay indoors as a compulsion.

Quebec, meanwhile, has extended the nighttime curfew that was initiated in January 2021, amid a surge of cases.

While the cases are on a rise, the Canadian government is urging people to get vaccinated as soon as possible, although the country is paying the price for delayed deliveries of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna jabs, especially since certain restrictions were imposed on AstraZeneca doses. Till now, 14.6 per cent of locals have received at least one jab of the coronavirus vaccine.