Employment lawyers say flouting COVID-19 public health orders when off the job or coming into work while knowingly sick could warrant discipline in the workplace — including termination in the most flagrant cases.
“China eats weird animals disease”
In Colorado, thousands receive “useless” first vaccination
No, this isn’t a story about the J&J vaccine, which is still on “pause” anyway. But it’s yet another headline that the nation didn’t need as the vaccination effort rolls on. Out in Colorado Springs, Colorado, at the Dr. Moma Health and Wellness Clinic, a vaccination pod had been set up and in operation for several months. But on April 6, something went seriously wrong.
Warnings ignored, action delayed: Ontario’s road to its most dire COVID crisis
When Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced the current stay-at-home order on April 7, he said the province’s COVID-19 crisis had become worse than predicted.
“The capacity at the ICUs and these variants have taken off even beyond what they told us,” the premier said. “And the second I found out yesterday, immediately I asked them to start writing up the orders.”
But modelling presented two months earlier signalled the trouble to come. And on April 1, the week before Ford’s announcement, projections showed a new stay-at-home order would be crucial to getting the increasingly devastating third wave under control.
$17-million class-action lawsuit filed against Calgary restaurant over COVID-19 outbreak
Joey Eau Claire staff didn’t follow proper Alberta Health Services protocols leading to a COVID-19 outbreak at the restaurant, a $17-million class-action lawsuit claims.
The court action, filed by Calgary firm Guardian Law Group against Joey Tomato’s (Canada) Inc., alleges patrons became sick because employees failed to adequately ensure safety steps were followed to protect customers.
I expect we’ll see more of this.
Ford relents… playgrounds open
Ontario’s enhanced restrictions were always intended to stop large gatherings where spread can happen.
Our regulations will be amended to allow playgrounds but gatherings outside will still be enforced. Play outside safely. Parents keep your distance & wear masks if you can’t.
— Doug Ford (@fordnation) April 17, 2021
Many Ontario police services refuse to enforce Ford government’s new random stop laws
After the Ontario government announced Friday they were giving police the power to randomly stop pedestrians and motorists on the streets, multiple police services have come forward saying they will not be making use of these new powers.
Canada’s COVID-19 travel restrictions are an inept, deadly failure
The thing about social media is there’s always something out there to enrage you.
For weeks now, there have been people posting stories about how they avoided the “mandatory” hotel quarantine upon entering Canada by simply renting a car and driving across a land border instead. Yes, you get asked a couple of questions, get your temperature checked, but then it’s away you go to self-quarantine.
“What kind of protective system is that?” I thought. Until I read stories detailing how people flying into Canada have simply been refusing to go to a government-sanctioned quarantine hotel – absent repercussions. They may have to pay a small fine. For most, it’s worth it.
(Go incognito)
Gretchen Whitmer is overseeing the worst outbreaks of the pandemic; why isn’t she following ‘The Science’?
“We have some of the strongest protocols in the country,” she said Thursday on MSNBC, “and yet, this virus has come raging back.”
You don’t say.
It was a surprise that host Chris Hayes didn’t cut her mic for contradicting The Science.
Michigan is currently averaging more COVID-19 cases and deaths per 100,000 people than any other state.
Gee but this sounds awfully familiar.
Ontario reports 4,362 new Covid cases … and it’s Dougie’s world we just suffer for it
Ontario reports 4,362 new COVID-19 cases and 34 deaths; hospitalizations top 2,000
Ontario reported more than 4,300 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, as those hospitalized with the virus topped 2,000 for the first time in the pandemic.
Provincial health officials reported 4,362 new coronavirus cases and 34 additional deaths today, the highest single-day death count since 47 fatalities were recorded on Feb. 19.
Ontario’s new COVID-19 restrictions have science ‘absolutely upside-down,’ experts say
A leading epidemiologist is slamming some aspects of the Ontario government’s decision to double down on COVID-19 restrictions Friday, saying that Premier Doug Ford has the science behind his soon-to-be-enacted measures “absolutely upside-down.”
University of Toronto professor Dr. David Fisman expressed his frustration in an interview with Global News shortly after the premier’s press conference, where he announced more COVID-19 restrictions aimed at slowing down the record-setting spread of new cases in the province.
“The reason it’s so frustrating to hear stuff like this is he’s got the science absolutely upside-down,” he said.
COVID patients could fill virtually all of Ontario’s existing ICU beds by May in worst case scenario: modelling
New modeling suggests that the number of COVID-19 patients in Ontario’s intensive care wards will exceed 1,000 by the end of April in every single scenario, raising the spectre that the province may have to formally invoke its triage protocol to decide who gets a bed.
Ford declines help from Trudeau, Red Cross: ‘We have a supply issue’
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government is prepared to deploy the Canadian Red Cross to help Ontario with their mobile vaccination teams and send aid to hospitals and long-term care homes; something the Premier says isn’t needed at the moment.
Canada negotiating contracts to secure COVID-19 booster shots for next year: Anand
Canada’s procurement minister says she is in the midst of negotiating new vaccine contracts to nail down supplies of vaccine booster shots if they’re needed next year.
“We are actively planning for 2022,” Anita Anand said in a recent interview with The Canadian Press.
CMA calls for extraordinary measures as pandemic surpasses critical point
The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) is issuing an urgent call for unprecedented measures to address the state of crisis unfolding in several provinces. This includes marshalling national resources where needed, applying restrictive public health measures, and prioritizing national collaboration to save the most lives.
Shorter Public Health: We Were Already Screwed So Why Bother Screening Flights From Brazil For Vaccine Resistant P1 Variant
Growing outbreaks of the Brazilian COVID-19 variant in Canada prompted health officials to quietly cease enhanced screening measures for travellers arriving from the South American nation.
In a statement sent to the Sun, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) said the extra screening didn’t seem necessary as the infectious and increasingly vaccine-resistant variant of concern (VOC) had already gained a significant foothold in this country.
Oh! Oh! South African variant cases rise amid reports several infected people have had a Covid vaccine dose
Diane Francis: Liberal vaccine failures could be the biggest scandal in Canadian history
Trudeau’s made-in-Canada vaccine roll-out debacle may become the biggest scandal in Canadian history because lives are involved.
As of April 15, 22.7 per cent of all Americans were fully vaccinated (or received two doses) and another 38.6 per cent have received their first dose. That is roughly 251 million doses. By contrast, Canada has only provided 8.5 million doses, most of which will be reduced in effectiveness because of the Trudeau government’s decision to delay the second dose by 16 weeks, contrary to pharma-company instructions.