Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during his daily news conference April 28, 2020. (via Facebook)Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during his daily news conference April 28, 2020. (via Facebook)
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'Not out of the woods yet,' Trudeau warns

Public health measures being taken across the country to stop the spread of COVID-19 are working, but Canada's Prime Minister warns "we're not out of the woods yet."

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said during his daily coronavirus update on Tuesday that, based on the best data available, safety measures like physical distancing, are working.

"In fact, in many parts of the country the curve has flattened, but we're not out of the woods yet," said Trudeau. "We are in the middle of the most serious public health emergency Canada has ever seen and if we lift measures too quickly, we might lose the progress we've made."

He went on to stress how quickly this public health emergency is resolved depends on the actions of Canadians.

"How many new cases there are, how many losses we have to mourn, whether our hospitals can continue to cope, it is all up to all of us," Trudeau said.

The prime minister's comments came just an hour before Health Minister Patty Hajdu and Canada's Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam released the federal government's latest projections on the spread of the virus across the country. The data shows new cases of COVID-19 are doubling every 16 days, which is down considerably compared to doubling every three days last month. Currently, there have been 49,014 confirmed cases of the virus in Canada, including 2,766 deaths.

According to national projections from Health Canada, that number could grow to 53,196 cases by Sunday in the best-case scenario and 66,835 cases in the worst-case scenario. Quebec and Ontario remain the hardest-hit provinces in the country. It has been suggested 10 per cent of Canadians could contract COVID-19, even with the strongest safety measures in place to limit the spread. Without the safety controls, that number jumps to 80 per cent of the Canadian population, Health Canada figures indicate.

"We are a big country and we don't always agree on everything, but right now the premiers and the federal government are working together to fight this crisis," said Trudeau. "We need common guidelines to make sure that the decisions being taken across the country are grounded in a shared understanding and appreciation of what science and experts are telling us."

Trudeau stressed controlling the transmission of COVID-19 is the first priority, while restarting the economy will be a "gradual and careful" process.

"Shortly, we’ll be releasing the shared principles on restarting the economy agreed to by the federal, provincial, and territorial governments. Let me be clear. These are not the specific measures when you can go back to work or school or when you can see your neighbours or extended family or friends. This framework will lay out the things that need to happen before we take any next steps," said Trudeau.

He also offered an update on highly sought after personal protective equipment that is being sent to healthcare facilities across the country.

Six-million surgical masks are to be shipped this week to provinces and territories. Another 100,000 face shields ordered from Bauer and Toronto Stamp will arrive soon after.

"Everyone deserves to be safe on the job," Trudeau added.

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