Canada reports first two coronavirus variant cases

Health and fitness authorities on Saturday have verified the first two situations of a especially infectious coronavirus variant that ended up detected in Britain have been confirmed in Canada.

“The situations are a couple from Durham with no regarded travel history, publicity, or significant-threat contacts,” Barbara Yaffe, acting main medical officer for Ontario, said in a statement.

The couple has been put in isolation, according to the statement, the same day that Ontario reimposed a lockdown for a number of weeks due to a spike in Covid-19 scenarios in the province given that early December.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reported on Wednesday his country would prolong its suspension of passenger flights from the Uk until finally January 6 in light of the coronavirus pressure sweeping Britain.

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The discovery of two circumstances in Ontario “further reinforces the will need for Ontarians to remain property as substantially as probable and keep on to observe all public well being information, together with the provincewide shutdown actions beginning currently,” claimed Yaffe.

The lockdown in Ontario, Canada´s most populous province at some 14 million residents, will final 28 days in the south of the area and 14 times in the north.

Non-public indoor gatherings outside the family members circle are banned. Important companies, these kinds of as grocery outlets and pharmacies, will be allowed to continue being open, but places to eat will be confined to acquire-out or shipping services.

As of Saturday, Canada experienced recorded a lot more than 534,000 instances of Covid-19 with much more than 14,700 fatalities.