The latest novel coronavirus news from Canada and around the world Monday (this file will be updated throughout the day) with web links to longer stories if available:

10:37 p.m.: Strict social distancing measures remain in place around the globe as leaders struggle to contain the coronavirus outbreak. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte extended his country’s lockdown by half a month to April 30. And in South Korea, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun repeated his public pleas for social distancing and lamented that young people were lining up at clubs and other leisure facilities at risk of becoming “quiet spreaders” of the virus.

8:04 p.m.: Yukon says it has placed enforcement officers at its borders and at the Whitehorse airport to get details of travellers self-isolation plans, their contact information and to look for any symptoms of COVID-19.

The government says officers were stationed on Monday at five checkpoints from British Columbia and one from the Northwest Territories.

7:45 p.m.: 3M says it will continue to send its coveted N95 respirators to Canada after reaching an agreement with the White House to import millions of the increasingly scarce medical face masks from China for use in the United States.

The Minnesota-based company issued a release late Monday after President Donald Trump announced the company would be producing 166.5 million masks over the next few months for the U.S. market.

3M says it worked with the Trump administration to make sure it could meet soaring American demand for the N95 masks without sacrificing its ability to provide the life-saving equipment to customers in Canada and Latin America.

Trump picked a fight with 3M last week after hearing reports that the company was selling its masks outside the U.S. despite the fact there wasn’t enough supply in the country to meet the needs of health-care workers battling COVID-19.

The president invoked the Defense Production Act to compel companies like 3M to prioritize domestic orders.

But the company pushed back, insisting that denying masks to Canada and Latin America would have serious humanitarian ramifications.

7:20 p.m.: New York City officials are starting to lay contingency plans if deaths from the coronavirus outbreak begin to overwhelm the capacity of morgues: temporarily burying the dead on public land.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday that the city would consider temporary burials if the deaths from the coronavirus outbreak exceed the space available in city and hospital morgues, but it had not reached that point.

Earlier Monday, the chairman of the city council health committee, Mark Levine, had sparked an uproar among city residents when he said on Twitter that the office of the chief medical examiner was looking into creating temporary mass graves in a public park.

The mayor firmly denied there were plans to use a park as a temporary grave site. His press secretary, Freddi Goldstein, said that if such a step became necessary, the city would bury people on Hart Island in the Bronx.

6 p.m.: A 25-year-old Quebec man appeared in court Monday in connection with a brutal assault against a Walmart security guard who was enforcing the store’s COVID-19 public health directives.

Nacime Kouddar was formally charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm, assault with a weapon, aggravated assault and failure to stop after an accident.

The guard, Phillipe Jean, 35, remains in critical condition in hospital. He was struck by a car allegedly driven by Kouddar and dragged on the hood of the vehicle for several metres, according to police.

The incident occurred around 5 p.m. Saturday after a suspect tried to enter the Walmart with his partner, only to be told just one person per vehicle was permitted inside at once.

An online fundraiser for Jean’s family has reportedly already raised about $14,000.

5:25 p.m.: Another 20 deaths from COVID-19 have been reported in Ontario so far Monday, according to the Star’s latest count of the public tallies and press releases issued by the province’s 34 regional health units.

As of 5 p.m., with several yet to post a daily update, the health units were reporting a total of 5,102 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19, including a total of 165 deaths — a total that’s nearly four times higher than at this time last week.

Monday saw new deaths reported in several regions that have seen deadly outbreaks at long-term care or retirement homes, including Toronto, Durham region, Hamilton, Niagara region and the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit. Haliburton is the site of Ontario’s worst outbreak since the beginning of the pandemic; three more residents of the Pinecrest Nursing Home were reported dead Monday.

In Toronto, Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eileen de Villa on Monday said that 15 of the city’s 32 COVID-19 deaths have come in long-term care or retirement homes.

As of Sunday morning, the province reports that a total of 1,449 patients have recovered after being infected by COVID-19.

The province says its data is accurate to 4 p.m. the previous day. The province also cautions its latest count of deaths — 119 — may be incomplete or out of date due to delays in its reporting system.

The local health units post new information to their websites throughout the day. The Star’s count includes some patients reported as “probable” COVID-19 cases, meaning they have symptoms and contacts or travel history that indicate they very likely have the disease, but have not yet received a positive lab test.

4:43 p.m. A day after Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said on Twitter that Canadians on the Coral Princess would be coming home, their long journey with two pit stops in the U.S. was underway.

There were 97 Canadian passengers aboard the ship, which left Santiago, Chile, on March 5 and docked in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Friday.

The Canadian Press communicated with two couples travelling on the ship, who said that passengers had been allowed to leave and were on a bus headed for the Miami airport.

Gary and Sue Lyon said in an email they were on a bus waiting to board a charter flight to Toronto via Columbus and Newark.

“We are all feeling relieved, happy and excited to go home. We will go home and self-isolate for 14 days,” the Lyons said.

“We appreciate all the crew and staff of the Coral Princess have done for us during this very challenging time. We wish them all the best.”

North Vancouver resident Sanford Osler, who was travelling with his wife, Betty Ann, said all passengers were wearing masks and gloves.

Two people aboard the ship have died, and 12 have tested positive for COVID-19, Princess Cruises has said. Still more are experiencing flu-like symptoms.

4:15 p.m.: Fire Chief Matthew Pegg reports that since March 24, Toronto Public Health has attended 509 bars and restaurants, 173 have been closed, and 21 warnings have been issued for non-compliance. Additionally, 124 personal service settings have been visited, 120 have closed and four warning letters have been issued.

4:14 p.m.: Quebec’s premier and its chief medical officer sounded cautiously optimistic on Monday about the province’s battle against COVID-19. Premier François Legault said “only” eight people were hospitalized in the province with the disease over the day prior, a number he called “extraordinary.” The province reported another 27 deaths on Monday, for a total of 121. Quebec also saw 636 new cases, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to 8,580.

4:12 p.m. Six Nations has reported four new confirmed COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of cases on the Ontario reserve to seven. The affected residents are in self-isolation.

4:02 p.m. Toronto Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eileen de Villa says there have been 32 deaths in Toronto from COVID-19. There are 1,301 cases in Toronto and 145 people are in hospital, 60 of those are in intensive care. Fifteen of 32 deaths are from long-term care settings, de Villa said.

(Updated) 3:55 p.m.: Mayor John Tory says community organizations have partnered with the city to fill gap in access to food halted by COVID-19. Tory says anyone with questions about getting access to food to call 211 or go to http://211toronto.ca. Seniors not receiving food but who qualify for help can register with Red Cross to get food hamper delivery starting tomorrow 1-833-204-9952.

3:55 p.m.: Saskatchewan is reporting four new cases of COVID-19. The province now has a total of 253 cases. It says four people are in hospital, with two of those patients in intensive care. To date, 81 people have recovered from the illness.

3:20 p.m.: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been moved to the intensive care unit of a London hospital after his coronavirus symptoms worsened. Johnson’s office says Johnson is conscious and does not require ventilation at the moment. Johnson was admitted to St. Thomas’ Hospital late Sunday, 10 days after he was diagnosed with COVID-19. Johnson has asked Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to deputize for him.

3 p.m.: A 61-year-old woman is second COVID-19 death in Newfoundland and Labrador. A 78-year-old retired police officer became the first person to die from COVID-19 in the province just over a week ago.

There were nine new cases of COVID-19 in Newfoundland and Labrador on Monday, increasing the provincial total to 226.

Chief medical officer of health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says there is a person in a St. Lawrence long-term care facility who has tested positive.

2:45 p.m.: The COVID-19 pandemic has reached Ontario’s remote First Nations. A statement from the Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority says a positive case has surfaced in Eabametoong First Nation. The community is about 300 kilometres north of Thunder Bay.

The health authority says the arrival of the virus will put a strain on a social and health-care system poorly equipped to handle the added stress.

2:33 p.m.: An emergency order now allows Ontario first responders (cops, fire, paramedics) to ask peoples’ COVID-19 status when responding to a call. Comes after a Peel paramedic got infected at a car collision scene.

2:15 p.m.: Manitoba health officials are reporting one new case of COVID-19, bringing the province’s total to 190 confirmed and 14 presumptive cases. The death toll remains unchanged at two.

Eleven people are in hospital, seven of whom are in intensive care. Seventeen people have recovered.

2:15 p.m.: The COVID-19 pandemic has reached Ontario’s remote First Nations, a local health authority said Monday as it cautioned the virus would soon place additional strain on a social and health-care system poorly equipped to handle the stress.

2:10 p.m.: New Brunswick is reporting two new cases of COVID-19, raising the province’s total to 103. Chief medical officer Dr. Jennifer Russell says both new cases are in the Moncton area and are close contacts of previous cases.

Meanwhile, the New Brunswick government says it has implemented a pandemic task force. Health Minister Hugh Flemming says the task force has a military-like command structure that will allow for a faster response to the pandemic.

2 p.m.: An advocacy group is urging governments to help it add housing to let non-violent female inmates leave jails before the COVID-19 pandemic moves into Atlantic institutions.

The executive director of the Elizabeth Fry Society of Mainland Nova Scotia is asking Correctional Service Canada for funding to help rapidly set up housing.

The organization says it’s crucial for non-violent offenders to be shifted to the community during the pandemic.

1:38 p.m.: Canadians are leaving the Coral Princess cruise ship, which reached Florida late last week. There were 97 Canadian passengers aboard the ship, which left Santiago, Chile, on March 5 and docked in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Friday.

Passengers say some travellers have been allowed to leave and were on a bus headed for the airport. The federal government says Canadians on the Coral Princess who don’t have COVID-19 symptoms will be able to return home on a charter aircraft.

1:35 p.m.: Prince Edward Island is reporting no new cases of COVID-19. The provincial total remains at 22. Chief medical officer Dr. Heather Morrison says eight of the province’s cases are considered recovered.

1:30 p.m.: Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister says he has received unanimous support from other premiers for a federal credit agency to help provinces deal with the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pallister says the premiers have written to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asking for financial help. The premier says he wants Ottawa to borrow on behalf of the provinces because the federal government gets a lower interest rate.

1:30 p.m.: Premier Doug Ford confirms that 500,000 3M masks are coming to Ontario. Says he’s feeling more confident. There were mixed signals this morning. “I have a little bit of optimism now that we’re going to get this resolved.” Ford says close to four million N95 masks ordered and 500,000 of them released.

1:20 p.m.: Ford notes that the previously announced $200 per child under 12 and $250 per special needs child subsidy kicks in today. Apply online.

1:15 p.m.: Ford warns of “extremely serious consequences” if Ontario residents don’t stay home. “Our (medical) supplies are strained at this point.” He again urges residents to stay home.

1:10 p.m. (this corrects an old item previously published): Quebec Premier François Legault says an additional 27 people have died from COVID-19 in the province, bringing the death toll to 121.

The total number of cases in Quebec is 8,580, an increase of 636 from the previous day. Of those cases, 533 require hospitalization, and 164 are in intensive care.

Legault says the small increase in the number of patients hospitalized, just eight more than Sunday, is encouraging news that could suggest there is “light at the end of the tunnel.”

12:45 p.m.: Ford to speak at his daily briefing at 1 p.m. Live video of the news conference will be livestreamed at thestar.com

12:40 p.m.: Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland says she just spoke with Premier Doug Ford to ensure that all the masks Canada purchased will be exported from the U.S. Ford has been telling reporters today that three million masks were stopped at the border this weekend coming up to Canada. Freeland and Ford have been working closely and talk several times a day.

12:35 p.m.: There has been a second death in Newfoundland and Labrador as a result of COVID-19. Chief medical officer of health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says the latest death is a 61-year-old woman who was admitted to hospital from home.

Fitzgerald reports nine new cases of COVID-19 in the province, increasing the provincial total to 226, and says there are eight people in hospital, including two in intensive care.

12:15 p.m.: Three more residents of a nursing home in central Ontario have died of COVID-19, bringing the total number of deaths at the facility up to 26. The wife of a resident at Pinecrest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon, Ont., has also died from the novel coronavirus.

The outbreak at the seniors’ residence in Ontario’s cottage country is considered one of the worst in the country. At least 24 staff members at the facility have also tested positive for COVID-19.

12:13 p.m. (updated): Canada’s top public-health doctor says wearing masks is a way for people who might have COVID-19 without realizing it to keep from spreading the illness to others. That’s a change from previous advice.

Dr. Theresa Tam says the change is due to increasing evidence that people with the virus can spread it without knowing they’re sick.

Cloth masks are advised if Canadians are in a position where they can’t be at least two metres away from somebody.

She says masks worn this way protect others more than they protect the people wearing them, and don’t exempt wearers from all the other measures they should take against COVID-19, including physical distancing and regular handwashing.

And Tam says medical masks still need to be preserved for front-line health workers, so cloth masks and other alternatives are the way to go.

12:11 p.m.: Tam says people as young as in their mid-20s are dying of COVID-19.

11:45 a.m.: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Tam will give updated information on the use of masks in public at her daily noon briefing.

11:25 a.m.: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is asked by the Star’s Alex Ballingall about Premier Doug Ford’s comments to CityNews about how Ontario will run out of personal protective equipment for health-care workers in one week after claiming the U.S. stopped a shipment of PPE into Canada. Trudeau says the two countries continue to have productive conversations, and that it’s a two-way street.

11:24 a.m.: Nova Scotia is reporting 31 new cases of COVID-19. The province’s total has now grown to 293 confirmed cases — 64 of which have been resolved.

While most cases in Nova Scotia have been connected to travel or a known case, the province has confirmed cases are now being linked to community spread.

11:15 a.m. (updated): Trudeau says 240,000 people successfully applied for emergency relief in the first few hours after Ottawa opened the process. Only people with birthdays in the first three months of the year can apply for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit today.

The benefit offers $500-a-week payments for workers who have lost all of their income. Trudeau says changes to the program will come soon to offer help for people whose hours have been slashed but who are still working a little.

11:08 a.m.: As of 11 a.m., Ontario’s local public health units are reporting 4,859 confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19, including 149 deaths, according to the Star’s latest count of the public tallies and press releases issued by the province’s 34 regional health units.

The total number of cases is up nearly 450 cases, or 10.0 per cent, since the same time Sunday morning.

The health units have reported 11 new deaths in 24 hours, including four more reported in Peel Region Monday morning. Peel has not yet released any information on these deaths, which bring the region’s total to eight since the pandemic began.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

Meanwhile, the number of people hospitalized and in intensive care continues to grow in Ontario. According to the province, 589 patients are now hospitalized with COVID-19, including 216 in an intensive care unit.

The province says its data is accurate to 4 p.m. the previous day. The province also cautions its latest count of deaths — 132 — may be incomplete or out of date due to delays in its reporting system.

The local health units post new information to their websites throughout the day. The Star’s count includes some patients reported as “probable” COVID-19 cases, meaning they have symptoms and contacts or travel history that indicate they very likely have the disease, but have not yet received a positive lab test.

10:50 a.m.: Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer is calling on the government to increase the charitable donation tax credit. He says this would help increase charitable contributions to hospitals, churches, food banks, women’s shelters and other worthy organizations.

Scheer also wants the government to immediately remove the capital gains tax on charitable donations of private company shares and real estate. He says although many businesses are struggling, some are still thriving and should be encouraged to support the charitable sector.

10:40 a.m.: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will hold his daily media briefing about the COVID-19 situation at 11:15 a.m. from Rideau Cottage in Ottawa. Live video of his briefing will be posted here.

On Sunday, Trudeau announced details for a cash payment for Canadians out of work because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Applications for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit will be accepted starting Monday, offering Canadians who have lost their jobs because of the crisis $2,000 a month.

10:24 a.m.: The Open Championship, also known as the British Open, has been cancelled, organizers announced Monday. It’s the first time since 1945 that this major golf championship has been cancelled.

10:05 a.m.: VIA Rail has suspended service of the “Canadian” — its service connecting passengers between Toronto and Vancouver — until June 1, due to the spread of the coronavirus, the national rail passenger service said in a news release.

The measure is needed “in light of the continued expansion of travel limitations as well as the widening of physical distancing and isolation measures,” the company said.

Passengers who booked a trip during this period will be contacted and reimbursed automatically.

10 a.m.: Toronto Mayor John Tory says he’s in favour of shutting down High Park, which usually attracts huge crowds for the cherry blossoms later this month. “I just don’t think that crowd scene is going to work in terms of the kind of physical distance we’re trying to encourage,” Tory told CP24, adding that he hopes to have some announcement this week of some sort of livestream so that people can still see it.

Hundreds were turned away from Toronto parks over the weekend as residents defy COVID-19 warnings, the Star’s Katie Daubs reports.

9:58 a.m.: Spain reported the lowest number of new coronavirus cases in more than two weeks, a sign that Europe’s biggest outbreak is slowing.

New infections were 4,273, taking the total to 135,032, according to Health Ministry data on Monday. The death toll rose by 637 to 13,055 in the past 24 hours, a smaller gain than Sunday’s 674 and the lowest number of daily fatalities since March 24.

9:44 a.m.: Stocks jumped in markets around the world Monday after some of the hardest-hit areas offered sparks of hope that the worst of the coronavirus outbreak may be on the horizon. U.S. stocks climbed more than three per cent in the first few minutes of trading, following similar gains in Europe and Asia. Bay Street was up 3.6 per cent at the opening of the market.

9:40 a.m.: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is scheduled to hold his daily media briefing about the COVID-19 situation at 11:15 a.m. Monday from Rideau Cottage in Ottawa. Check back here for the live video from the news conference.

9:15 a.m.: The latest numbers on the Johns Hopkins website report the number of COVID-19 cases worldwide at 1,288,372 with 70,482 deaths. Among those, 270,249 have recovered from the illness. The United States (337,933), Spain (135,032), Italy (128,948) and Germany (100,132) have the highest number of cases.

8:44 a.m.: South Africa, one of the world’s most unequal countries with a large population vulnerable to the new coronavirus, may have an advantage in the outbreak, honed during years battling HIV and tuberculosis: the know-how and infrastructure to conduct mass testing.

8:31 a.m.: The United States and Britain braced for one of their bleakest weeks in living memory on Monday as the social and financial toll of the coronavirus pandemic deepened. New infections in Italy and especially Spain showed signs of slowing, with emergency rooms in the hard-hit Madrid region returning almost to normal a week after scenes of patients sleeping on floors and in chairs.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was infected last month, was hospitalized overnight in what his office described as a “precautionary step” after persistent symptoms. The 55-year-old Conservative leader, who had a fever for days, is the first known head of government to fall ill with the disease.

8:26 a.m.: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says that he will declare a state of emergency for Tokyo and six other prefectures as early as Tuesday to bolster measures to fight the coronavirus outbreak, but that there will be no hard lockdowns.

7 a.m. Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says Canadian passengers on the Coral Princess cruise ship will be headed home Monday, after undergoing a health screening.

Champagne says in a tweet that Canadians who don’t show any symptoms of COVID-19 will be allowed to disembark the ship in Florida and get on a flight chartered by Holland America.

The minister says they’ll be screened again upon arrival and subject to a mandatory 14-day self-isolation period.

Some passengers were allowed off the ship yesterday but Canadians weren’t among them, due to new guidelines by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control guidelines.

Those guidelines said cruise passengers shouldn’t board commercial flights, meaning only those with chartered flights were able to disembark.

6 a.m.: Three out of four U.S. hospitals surveyed are already treating patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19, according to a federal report that finds hospitals expect to be overwhelmed as cases rocket toward their projected peak.

4:15 a.m.: Applications open today for the new federal emergency aid benefit for Canadians who lost their income because of COVID-19.

The Canada Revenue Agency will open its application portals this morning to those born in the first three months of the year, with those born in other months able to apply later in the week.

People born in April, May and June can apply Tuesday, those born in July, August or September can apply Wednesday and applications are accepted Thursday from people born in October, November and December. Friday, Saturday and Sunday will be open to anyone.

More than two million Canadians lost their jobs in the last half of March as businesses across the country were forced to close or reduce their operations to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Others are unable to work because they are required to self-isolate at home, or need to look after children whose schools and daycares are closed.

To be eligible for the emergency benefit, workers must have earned at least $5,000 in 2019, or in the 12 months before applying. The benefit is the same for everyone regardless of previous income, and is a less complicated application process than for employment insurance.

Canadians who sign up for direct deposit could get their first payment before the end of the week, while those who opt for printed cheques will get money in 10 days.

4:05 a.m.: Students across Ontario begin online learning today, more than three weeks after COVID-19 shuttered schools in the name of physical distancing.

Teachers will lead the effort with both live and pre-recorded lessons, but the move poses challenges nonetheless.

The Ministry of Education has said that e-learning cannot fully replace the in-class experience, so the goal is to help students continue their education as much as possible during the pandemic.

4 a.m.: The U.S. Surgeon General says Americans should brace for levels of tragedy reminiscent of the Sept. 11 attacks and the bombing of Pearl Harbor, while the nation’s infectious disease chief warned Sunday that the new coronavirus may never be completely eradicated from the globe.

Those were some of the most grim assessments yet for the immediate future and beyond. But hours later, President Donald Trump and Vice-President Mike Pence tried to strike more optimistic tones, suggesting that hard weeks ahead could mean beginning to turn a corner.

“We’re starting to see light at the end of the tunnel,” Trump said at a Sunday evening White House briefing. Pence added, “We are beginning to see glimmers of progress.”

The president, however, added that he thought the next two weeks “are going to be very difficult.”

Earlier Sunday, Surgeon General Jerome Adams told CNN, “This is going to be the hardest and the saddest week of most Americans’ lives, quite frankly.”

The number of people infected in the U.S. has exceeded 337,000, with the death toll climbing past 9,600. More than 4,100 of those deaths are in the state of New York, but a glimmer of hope there came on Sunday when Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo said his state registered a small dip in new fatalities over a 24-hour period.

(Updated) 4 a.m.: There are 16,666 confirmed and presumptive cases in Canada, according to The Canadian Press as of 7 p.m. ET on April 6, 2020.

Quebec: 8,580 confirmed (including 121 deaths, 611 resolved)

Ontario: 4,347 confirmed (including 132 deaths, 1,624 resolved)

Alberta: 1,348 confirmed (including 24 deaths, 361 resolved)

British Columbia: 1,266 confirmed (including 39 deaths, 783 resolved)

Nova Scotia: 293 confirmed (including 64 resolved)

Saskatchewan: 253 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 81 resolved)

Newfoundland and Labrador: 226 confirmed (including 2 deaths, 32 resolved)

Manitoba: 190 confirmed (including 2 deaths, 17 resolved), 14 presumptive

New Brunswick: 103 confirmed (including 30 resolved)

Prince Edward Island: 22 confirmed (including 8 resolved)

Repatriated Canadians: 13 confirmed

Yukon: 7 confirmed (including 4 resolved)

Northwest Territories: 4 confirmed (including 1 resolved)

Nunavut: No confirmed cases

Total: 16,666 (14 presumptive, 16,652 confirmed including 323 deaths, 3,616 resolved)

7:20 p.m.: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been admitted to a hospital with the new coronavirus.

Johnson’s office says he is being admitted for tests because he still has symptoms, 10 days after testing positive for the virus.

Downing St. says the hospitalization is a “precautionary step” and he remains in charge of the government.

Johnson, 55, has been quarantined in his Downing St. residence since being diagnosed with COVID-19 on March 26.

Read more about: