COVID-19 Update for March 20, 2020 – 11:30am
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced additional measures in response to the COVID-19 situation at his 11:15 a.m. news conference this morning.
The focus of today’s update was on migration between Canada and the U.S, getting Canadians home from aboard, and the actions industry are taking to help in the fight against COVID-19.
Travel
- Restrictions banning non-essential travel for tourism and recreation between Canada and the U.S. come into effect at midnight tonight.
- Canada and the U.S have reached an agreement to return irregular migrants who are attempting to cross the border at any point.
- Discussions are underway with Canadian airlines to help Canadians come home, with the first flight from Morocco scheduled for this weekend.
Working with industry
The Canadian government will help manufacturers repurpose their machinery to help in the fight against COVID-19. This includes:
- Assistance to manufacturers of ventilators, masks and other equipment to “massively increase” production;
- Assistance to other manufacturers, including automakers, to shift production to medical equipment; and
- Streamlining the procurement process.
The Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, Navdeep Bains and the Minister of Public Services and Procurement, Anita Anand, will announce more details later this afternoon.
The Prime Minister asked business owners to reach out to government to find out how they can help government respond to the pandemic.
The Enterprise Team