Published 17:03 IST, March 24th 2020
Justin Trudeau urges Canadians to stay home to curb coronavirus spread
Canadian PM Justin Trudeau said that people those who are defying advice to isolate themselves to fight coronavirus should ‘go home and stay home’.
- World News
- 3 min read
As coronavirus cases in Canada reached 2,091, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that people who are defying advice to isolate themselves to fight coronavirus should ‘go home and stay home’. While speaking at a daily news conference, Trudeau said ‘enough is enough’ as people were still disregarding his advice. Furthermore, he even warned that people who are not taking the advice seriously will be facing sanctions.
Trudeau said, “Enough is enough. Go home and stay home. We're going to make sure this happens, whether by educating people more on the risks or by enforcing the rules if that's needed”.
Shortly after Trudeau’s statement, the premier of Ontario reportedly announced a two-week shutdown of non-essential businesses. Ontario’s Premier, Doug Ford, said that it was unacceptable that people are returning from winter breaks in Florida and elsewhere were not going into self-isolation for 14 days as required. While speaking to an international media outlet, Ford said that it is ‘very tough decision’ and the authorities must get ahead of the virus to beat the virus.
Earlier this week, the federal and provincial officials also said that people ignoring advice to self-isolate or avoid late groups could be fined or arrested. As per reports, almost all provinces in Canada have imposed some sort of state of emergency. Canada is also asking recently retires meat inspectors to return to work as it tries to ease staffing shortages and ensure that the food system remains intact.
US-Canada border closure
Meanwhile, the Canadian federal government would reportedly offer an additional $3.5 billion line of credit for farmers and agricultural producers to help them through a crisis that is battering the economy. United States President Donald Trump has said on March 18 that by ‘mutual consent’, America will cease its Northern Border with Canada to the non-essential traffic. Trudeau also said that the asylum seekers who walk over the border between the US and Canada will be sent back.
Trudeau has told the reporters that it is an ‘unprecedented situation’ and added that there has been a ‘lot of pressure on our system’. He also assured that the government is working to rectify the situation and better its response to the stem the easily spread fatal virus. Meanwhile, Air Canada, which is the country’s largest carrier, also said on March 21 that it would temporarily lay off more than 5,100 employees.
Updated 17:03 IST, March 24th 2020