The latest novel coronavirus news from Canada and around the world Friday (this file will be updated throughout the day):

11:10 p.m. Ontario is barring personal visits to inmates in its adult provincial jails to try to keep COVID-19 out. The province’s health minister and solicitor general announced the move late Friday night. They say professional visits, such as from prisoners’ lawyers, will continue.

Offenders who serve their sentences on weekends will also see restrictions loosened. They’re to report to jail at the usual time but will be sent home again, since they’re considered low risk.

8:18 p.m. Cases of COVID-19 in Canada total 197 (192 confirmed, five presumptive, and 11 cases resolved).

The numbers break down geographically as such: Ontario, 79 confirmed (five cases resolved); British Columbia, 64 confirmed, including one death (six cases resolved); Alberta, 29 confirmed; Quebec, 17 confirmed; New Brunswick, one confirmed; Manitoba, one confirmed, three presumptive; Saskatchewan, two presumptive; Canadians quarantined at CFB Trenton, one confirmed.

7:39 p.m. The Hospital for Sick Children announces patients and family will be screened upon arrival at the Elizabeth Street entrance, and all other entrances will be closed.

7 p.m. Public schools in New Brunswick are closing for two weeks, starting Monday, because of COVID-19.

Early learning and child-care facilities, including those located in schools, are not being closed.

6:50 p.m. The Alberta government is changing labour laws to provide 14 days of paid leave for workers who are isolating because of COVID-19 or caring for someone who has it.

The government says employees will not need a doctor’s note, nor will they have had to work for 90 days previously to qualify.

Alberta has announced six new cases of the disease, bringing the total number in the province to 29.

Schools, however, will remain open.

6:45 p.m. British Columbia has 11 new cases of COVID-19, all of them in the Vancouver area, bringing the total in the province to 64.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says the new cases also involve an “additional cluster” that was reported earlier today at the Lions Gate Hospital in North Vancouver.

Three administrative workers at the hospital have tested positive for COVID-19.

Vancouver Coastal Health says they are in self-isolation at home and are recovering.

Henry says they have not worked in the hospital’s clinical areas.

There is also another case related to the Lynn Valley Care Centre in North Vancouver, where the other cluster is located in the province.

Henry says the other new cases are linked to travel to Iran, Egypt, the Philippines and Mexico.

She says two people are now hospitalized, six have recovered and the rest are in isolation at home.

6:10 p.m. A fourth person in Manitoba has tested positive for COVID-19.

The province says the man, who is in his 40s, appears to have been exposed to the virus during recent travels to South Korea, the Philippines and Japan.

The three other cases in Manitoba also appear to be travel-related.

5:25 p.m. Alberta is temporarily suspending all upcoming jury trials and jury selection, effective immediately, until May 31 or further notice.

In a news release, Alberta Courts said the decision applies to all jury trials and jury selections that have not yet started.

And in Manitoba, all trials scheduled to proceed by judge and jury before June 30 will not proceed with a jury.

Manitoba Courts say they will either be held by judge alone or rescheduled for a later date.

5.39 p.m. Metrolinx announced Friday afternoon it would reduce GO Transit service starting Wednesday, Mar. 18. CEO Phil Verster said the decision was made a result of declining ridership as a result of the outbreak, and a desire to ensure GO workers stay healthy in order to continue long-term operations. New schedules will be posted online Sunday.

5:30 p.m. Toronto Mayor John Tory announced he will be in self-isolation for 12 days after returning from London on Wednesday.

5:20 p.m. Quebec is closing all schools, junior colleges, universities and daycare centres in the province for two weeks beginning Monday to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

5:16 p.m. The Saskatchewan government is following the lead of other provinces in banning gatherings of of more than 250 people as it announces its second presumptive case of COVID-19 and no events of more than 50 people with anyone who has travelled internationally in the past 14 days.

The government is also asking anyone who travelled outside Saskatchewan in the past 14 days to avoid visiting nursing homes and hospitals.

5:12 p.m. Ontario Public Service employees have been asked to work from home until Apr. 3.

5:10 p.m. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said his government will declare a two-week state of emergency on Saturday, giving itself extraordinary powers including the mobilization of the armed forces, to confront the COVID-19 outbreak.

The positive cases could be over 10,000 by next week, the prime minister warned in his televised address, from more than 4,200 confirmed by midday Friday. A total 120 people have died, and 189 have been declared as recovered.

5:10 p.m. The city of Toronto announces the closure of libraries, rec centres, ski hills, pools, daycare, March Break camps, council meetings and more from 12:01 a.m. March 14 to April 5. Dr. Eileen de Villa, the city’s medical officer of health, made the recommendation to slow the spread of COVID-19.

The city says impacted programs and facilities are:

• City-operated March Break camps

• All licensed child care centres

• Community and recreation centres, greenhouses and conservatories, arenas, pools, fitness centres, and ski hills.

• Libraries.

• City-operated museums and galleries.

• Council and Committee meetings are suspended for the current meeting cycle.

• Public consultations are suspended.

• All event permits for city facilities, including civic centres, recreation facilities, and parks (wedding ceremony permits for civic centre Wedding Chambers will be honoured).

Reimbursements for cancellations will be processed as soon as possible. The tentative date for services to resume is April 5, 2020.

Emergency and critical services that will continue unaffected are:

• Emergency response by Toronto Police, Fire Services, and Paramedic Services.

• TTC service will continue to operate.

• Toronto Water operations continue, including drinking water, wastewater collection and treatment, and stormwater management.

• Garbage, recycling and organics collection continues.

• Shelters, respites, and drop-in centres continue to operate with measures already established.

• Long-term care homes continue to operate with strict visitor restrictions in place.

• Road, sidewalk, and bikeway operations and maintenance, including snow removal, continues.

• City Hall, Metro Hall, and civic centres will remain open.

De Villa recommends that anyone who has travelled outside of the country should self-islolate for 14 days.

5:00 p.m. The city of Brampton is closing all city facilities from March 16 to April 5 according to Mayor Patrick Brown. All critical services including fire and transit will contiue to operate normally. The City of Mississauga is closing all its rec centres libraries and culture facilites from March 14 to April 5, a move that includes all of its March Break programs. The City of Markham is closing all of its rec centres and libraries until April 5. All drop-ins, including March Break camps and senior programs are suspended.

4:50 p.m. The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) is temporarily closed effective 9 p.m. through Sunday, Apr. 5. ROM has announced it is closing today at 5:30 p.m. until Apr. 5. And the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA Toronto) is closed as of Saturday.

4:13 p.m. The TSX closed up 1,207 points or 9.66 per cent and, in New York, stocks surged, recouping much of a historic plunge, after President Donald Trump announced new measures to fight the coronavirus. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 1,985 points, or 9.4 per cent, its best gain since October 2008. Stocks doubled their gains in the last half-hour as Trump made his remarks.

4:12 p.m. Quebec is closing all schools, junior colleges, universities and daycare centres in the province for two weeks beginning Monday to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

3:40 p.m.: President Donald Trump announced Friday that he is declaring the coronavirus pandemic a national emergency, as Washington struggles with providing Americans with relief and officials race to slow the spread of the outbreak.

Speaking from the Rose Garden, Trump said, “I am officially declaring a national emergency.” He said the emergency would open up $50 billion for state and local governments to respond to the outbreak.

Trump said he was also giving Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar emergency authorities to waive federal regulations and laws to give doctors and hospitals “flexibility” in treating patients.

3:36 p.m.: The Manitoba government says it is closing schools for three weeks because of COVID-19.

Education Minister Kelvin Goertzen says classes will be suspended starting Monday.

He says the decision was made for the health and well-being of all Manitobans.

He says officials want to stay ahead of the virus that has caused a world-wide pandemic.

Manitoba is dealing with three presumptive cases of COVID-19, all of which appear to be travel-related.

3:32 p.m.: U.S. President Donald Trump declares national emergency because of the coronavirus pandemic. The declaration would allow the administration to utilize the Stafford Act, the federal law that gives FEMA responsibility for coordinating disaster relief efforts, to provide emergency funding to state and local governments.

3:30 p.m.: The City of Mississauga will be closing all recreation, library, and cultural facilities starting Saturday through to April 5 to the public. This includes the Living Arts Centre, Meadowvale Theatre, Paramount Fine Foods Centre and the Mississauga Seniors’ Centre. Programming at these facilities will be cancelled.

3:20 p.m.: Canada’s national museums are set to shut their doors Saturday as the COVID-19 pandemic hits cultural venues across the country.

National Museums of Canada has announced that the public institutions will be closed until further notice to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The decision impacts the Canadian Museum of History, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, the Canadian Museum of Nature, the Canadian War Museum, Ingenium and the National Gallery of Canada.

2:40 p.m.: Mosques across the country have cancelled or altered their Friday prayer programs, after two Islamic associations called for the practice to be suspended to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The Muslim Medical Association of Canada and the Canadian Council of Imams say mosques should cancel Friday prayers — a ritual analogous to Sunday mass for Catholics — until further notice.

Asma Amjad, an Ottawa doctor and the vice president of the MMAC, said it is a difficult decision for mosques to make, but it’s part of their duty to help prevent the novel coronavirus from spreading.

“Friday prayers are so beloved to Muslims, it’s such an important part of our lives,” said Amjad. “But we have a duty to be proactive.”

2:14 p.m.: The Bank of Canada is cutting its overnight rate target by half a percentage point to 0.75 per cent in response to COVID-19. It’s the second rate cut in 10 days. The last rate cut was last week, when it dropped from 1.75 per cent to 1.25 per cent.

2:10 p.m.: Finance Minister Bill Morneau says the government is making $10 billion available to businesses through a credit facility program.

He says it was an effective tool during the 2008 financial crisis and will be again now.

Morneau says he’s also been in touch with CEOs of the major banks, who told him they will “support businesses and individuals” with fairness and compassion.

2:10 p.m.: Augusta National on Friday postponed the Masters, another massive hit to the spring sports calendar from the new coronavirus that already is responsible for the loss of March Madness and the delay of opening day baseball.

The Masters had been scheduled for April 9-12.

The decision comes 12 hours after PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan cancelled four tournaments, starting with the final three rounds of The Players Championship and its $15 million purse.

2 p.m.: President Donald Trump plans to declare the national emergency Friday afternoon during a 3 p.m. news conference, according to a senior administration official.

The declaration would allow the administration to utilize the Stafford Act, the federal law that gives FEMA responsibility for coordinating disaster relief efforts, to provide emergency funding to state and local governments.

1:45 p.m. All daycares located inside TDSB schools will also be closed and all TDSB Extended Day Programs will be cancelled from March 14 through to April 5.

1:30 p.m.: Italy says the number of coronavirus infections has soared by more than 2,500 in the last 24 hours while virus-related deaths make largest single-day jump of 250.

That brings the total number of infected in Italy to 17,660 since the outbreak began on Feb. 21, and the number of related deaths to 1,266.

Italy is the epicentre of the virus outbreak in Europe.

12:55 p.m.: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he’s keeping in close touch with his counterparts in the provinces and abroad in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak.

He says he’ll be speaking with the premiers and Indigenous leaders later today.

And Trudeau says he’s also spoken with world leaders including U.S. President Donald Trump, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron.

He made the remarks in a news conference outside his home, where he’s in self-isolation following his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau’s diagnosis with the virus.

12:35 p.m.: Trudeau vowed to help Canadians financially regarding child care, and that Ottawa will be “announcing a fiscal stimulus package in the coming days.

He said there will be a plan to to help vulnerable Canadians who aren’t able to go to work, small businesses.

“All levels of government are working together,” Trudeau said, adding that Canada is in an “enviable position” and has “significant physical firepower available to support you.”

Trudeau said Canada is also looking at travellers and their countries of origin to decide on further measures they should take based on science.

12:30 p.m.: Trudeau said he is “feeling good,” that he has no symptoms of COVID-19 but he will continue to be in self-isolation for two weeks. His wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau tested positive Thursday for the new coronavirus after feeling sick when she returned from the United Kingdom.

He said since he hasn’t shown any symptoms, that there’s no value in being tested.

“We’re in good hands,” Trudeau said. “We have full confidence in Canada’s health officials and professionals.”

12:15 p.m.: Transport Minister Marc Garneau says no cruise ships carrying more than 500 people will be allowed to dock in Canada until at least July 1.

The restriction will apply to ports in the North for the whole season, because the risk from COVID-19 is greater in more remote communities.

He says the government is also planning to restrict the airports that can accept international flights, so people arriving on them can be more closely screened.

Garneau says the list of airports that will be included hasn’t been settled yet.

12:15 p.m.: Quebec is closing all schools, junior colleges, universities and daycare centres in the province for two weeks beginning Monday to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Premier Francois Legault is also calling on the federal government to rapidly limit the entry of foreign visitors into the country.

He says it is inconsistent that the province’s citizens are being told to self-isolate for two weeks upon returning from travel, but foreign visitors face no restrictions.

Speaking to reporters in Quebec City, Legault said daycare service would be available for health care workers and others providing essential services.

Quebec has 17 confirmed COVID-19 cases.

12:10 p.m.: A breakdown of the 20 new COVID-19 cases in the province: 12 in Toronto; four in Peel and one each in York Region, Ottawa, Niagara and Waterloo. A man in his 80s in the Niagara Region is in hospital, but all of the other people are in self-isolation.

Most of the new cases are in people who recently travelled to places such as the United States and Egypt or have had close contacts with other confirmed cases.

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

Six cases are not listed with specific sources of transmission, but health officials say the investigations into those cases are ongoing.

12 p.m.: Canada’s chief public health officer says Canadians shouldn’t travel outside the country unless they have to, out of concern over the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Theresa Tam says any non-essential trip should be cancelled or postponed.

Besides the risk of catching or spreading the novel coronavirus, she says there’s a danger of getting caught in a travel ban or quarantine abroad.

This is the first nation-wide call against international travel. “If you travel abroad, you could be subjected to the measures of other countries. Your one-week trip could become much longer,” she told reporters Friday.

Chrystia Freeland added that Canada is facing “an extraordinary, unprecedented situation,” and that they’re doing “whatever it takes” to keep the Canadian economy strong, including a new NAFTA deal that was ratified Friday before suspension of Parliament due to the coronavirus, which will help economy during a challenging time.

11:55 a.m.: Ontario announces 20 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the provincial total to 79. The province says it has tested 5,129 cases, with 4,470 coming back negative. There are 580 cases under investigation, with five “resolved.” A case is deemed resolved when a patient is no longer infectious based on two consecutive negative tests at least 24 hours apart.

11:46 a.m.: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada is exploring whether to close the Canada-U.S. border to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Business leaders and the provinces have been urging the federal Liberal government to resist pressure to close the border in the wake of President Donald Trump’s extraordinary travel ban, which takes effect tonight at midnight.

Asked if the government will close the Canadian border, Trudeau — who is self-isolating at home after his wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau tested positive for COVID-19 — said: “We are in the midst of looking at this ... We’re in the midst of evaluating day-to-day what to do.”

“As you’ve seen, there are recommendations not to travel outside of Canada. We’re in the midst of co-ordinating with the Americans, obviously, on our borders, on our actions. We’ll continue to evaluate what we can do and how we can keep Canadians in security and we won’t close the door on any idea.”

11:35 a.m.: The City of Ottawa is opening its first dedicated assessment centre for COVID-19 at noon.

Set up in a city skating rink just outside downtown, the centre is meant to let people be tested for the novel coronavirus without going to hospitals, potentially spreading it there and requiring constant cleaning in busy emergency departments.

The assessment centre is to be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day.

It’s meant for people who have COVID-19 symptoms such as fever and cough, and who have either recently returned from international travel or have close contact with someone who has a confirmed case of the illness.

11:31 a.m.: Legislative Assembly of Ontario is suspending all tours until April 3 and cancelling March Break programming. “This decision was made with the best interest of public health and safety.” Assembly will remain open for other business.

11:30 a.m.: The National Arts Centre is suspending its programming in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The president and CEO has announced that performances and events at the Ottawa institution will be cancelled through April 5.

Christopher Deacon says tickets for cancelled shows will be exchanged or refunded.

11:07 a.m.: Canada Lands Company, which owns the CN Tower, says the tourist attractions will close tonight and won’t reopen until April 14.

11 a.m.: Ontario’s chief medical officer Dr. David Williams says to “avoid all non-essential travel outside of Canada” and the “immediate suspension” of all gatherings over 250 people because of COVID-19 pandemic.

10:50 a.m.: George Brown College will be suspending all in-person classes from Saturday to March 22, including daytime and Continuing Education classes at all their campuses. This is “to ensure the health and well-being of our community.” Centennial has also suspended classes.

10:45 a.m.: The suspension of the House of Commons means the federal budget won’t be presented March 30 as Finance Minister Bill Morneau had promised.

Government House leader Pablo Rodriguez says the deal among all the parties allows a new date to be set.

10:45 a.m.: Centennial College suspended all classes next week. From March 23 to April 3 all courses will be delivered online and students will not have to attend campus. However, campuses will remain open during this time to allow students who require a computer to engage in online learning to utilize our open computer labs on campus.

10:44 a.m.: The University of Toronto announces that it will cancel all in-person undergraduate courses, as well as research-stream masters and doctoral courses, across its three campuses from Monday to April 3 in response to the outbreak of COVID-19 in Canada and around the globe. “We will provide that teaching by other means,” U of T president Meric Gertler said in a statement.

Ryerson and McMaster also announce cancellation of all classes on campus. Queen’s University says that all undergraduate classes will be suspended for one week, after which it will communicate how the rest of the semester will move forward.

10:40 a.m.: Niagara reports first COVID-19 case, the St. Catharines Standard has learned. On Thursday evening, a man who had come into an emergency room at St. Catharines hospital tested positive for the coronavirus. There is no information on the man’s age or where he may have contracted the virus. He is currently in stable condition at St. Catharine’s hospital.

10:32 a.m.: Organizers of the Boston Marathon, the planet’s most celebrated foot race, are postponing the event until Sept. 14 because of concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh announced Friday.

The Boston Athletic Association, which oversees the marathon, had held off deciding the fate of the April 20 race even as other high-profile sporting events were cancelled or postponed around the globe.

10:30 a.m.: The judge presiding over a high-profile murder case in Toronto has told jurors the trial will continue amid new precautionary measures related to the novel coronavirus.

Justice Michael Dambrot says the trial for Kalen Schlatter, charged with the first-degree murder in the death of Tess Richey, will be completed “hopefully as quickly as possible.”

The Superior Court of Justice of Ontario announced Thursday that jury selection has been suspended for future trials and anyone summoned for jury duty for upcoming proceedings should not come to court.

But it says trials currently underway can continue, unless the judge says otherwise.

10:30 a.m.: York University announces that it will suspend all face-to-face instruction and moving courses to online formats beginning Monday.

It will cancel or postpone all non-essential events that are not required as part of an academic program. It will close the Tait Mackenzie Centre and the Glendon Athletic Club until April 30. Keele and Glendon campuses will remain open, and research activities will continue.

10:23 a.m. Parliament is preparing to stop sitting to keep politicians and staff safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Details are still emerging as MPs discuss the plans in the House of Commons. Conservative whip Mark Strahl says the opposition will continue to hold the Liberals to account outside Parliament. Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet says his party is supporting the plan in the interest of the common good, but days legislators don’t sit will have to be made up later.

9:35 a.m.: The Greek Olympic committee suspended the rest of its torch relay on Friday because of the “unexpectedly large crowd” that gathered to watch despite repeated requests for the public to stay away to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The committee said a large crowd had gathered to watch the flame for the Tokyo Olympics pass through the southern Greek town of Sparta. The flame was lit Thursday at the birthplace of the games in Ancient Olympia in a pared-down ceremony.

9:34 a.m.: The S&P/TSX composite index gains more than 700 points at the start of trading.

Dow Jones industrials average up more than 1,200 points.

9:20 a.m.: Theatres are taking steps to assure audiences it’s still safe to see movies on the big screen amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

TIFF Bell Lightbox is asking moviegoers to maintain a three-seat distance within its cinemas.

The Toronto theatre will be selling fewer tickets for each screening for at least the next four weeks.

Staff will also sanitize all tables, arm rests and other areas in and around the cinemas.

Cineplex says it’s also rolling out “enhanced cleaning protocols” at locations across the country.

The chain says it’s implementing policies to ensure hourly staff don’t suffer a financial hit for staying home.

9:14 a.m.: The Trump administration announced a series of steps Friday to boost the availability of coronavirus testing in the U.S., which has drawn heated criticism from lawmakers of both parties and frustrated Americans who are sick and have been unable to find out whether they are infected.

The Food and Drug Administration has created a 24-hour emergency hotline for laboratories having difficulty getting materials or finding other impediments to running tests, according to announcements early on Friday.

Officials also announced they were giving nearly $1.3 million in federal money to two companies trying to develop rapid covid-19 tests that could determine whether a person is infected within an hour.

9 a.m.: Mosques in Toronto and the GTA are cancelling Friday Jumuah prayers. Islamic Centre of Canada, which has two locations — one in Mississauga and another in Toronto — says that they are taking “emergency measures to ensure the safety of our community.”

8:45 a.m.: The Royal Bank is predicting Canada will fall into a recession later this year as the economic impact of COVID-19 and the plunge in oil prices weigh on the economy.

The bank is predicting the economy will grow at an annual pace of 0.8 per cent in the first quarter, but then contract in the second and third quarters of the year.

RBC is forecasting an annualized decline of 2.5 per cent in the second quarter and 0.8 per cent in the third quarter.

It says the forecast is based on an assumption is that the impact of the virus will run its course by the end of the first half of the year, however the persistence of low oil prices will prevent the economy from recovering.

RBC expects the economy will pick up more substantially in the fourth quarter.

8:10 a.m.: Classes at the University of Alberta are suspended — at least for the day — as official decide whether the campus should remain open while the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise.

The university says campuses and all services remain open but classes have been suspended to allow for additional consultation with health experts.

The one-day suspension comes as Alberta Health announced Thursday that certain large gatherings of people should be cancelled to ward off the spread of the respiratory virus — although school closures were not ordered.

A statement from the university says “large research institutions are unique in their scale and diversity of experiences” and a decision on the resumption of classes will be made by this Sunday, at the latest.

8:05 a.m.: The futures market pointed to a positive start for U.S. stock markets which have plunged this week as investors’ concerns about the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic gripped markets.

The rout on stock markets has come amid cancellations and shutdowns around the world as governments have moved to deal with the outbreak of the virus.

The plunge has put the S&P/TSX composite index in bear market territory, off more than 20 per cent from its record high hit earlier this year.

The Bank of Canada moved Thursday with a $7-billion promise to the country’s banking system and an expansion of its bond buyback program, making moves it hasn’t used since the financial crisis.

8:02 a.m.: As Italy grinds to a halt in hopes of stopping its coronavirus outbreak, Spain has become the next country at risk of having its health care system pushed to the brink by the global pandemic that is sweeping its way westward with increasing fury.

Over 60,000 people awoke Friday in four towns near Barcelona confined to their homes and with police blocking roads. The order by regional authorities in Catalonia is Spain’s first mandatory lockdown as infections increase sharply, putting a strain on health services and pressure on the government for more action.

The situation in and around the Spanish capital, Madrid, with nearly 2,000 positive cases of the new virus and hospitals rapidly filling up, is a source of particular concern for authorities.

The country as a whole had more than 3,800 cases by Friday morning and at least 84 deaths, but with a rate of contagion that is skyrocketing. In some areas, cases are doubling overnight.

The government has closed museums and sports centres, sent home nearly 10 million students and has asked people to work remotely, while limiting crowds at public events in high-risk areas.

7:46 a.m.: A Toronto organization that planned to honour the lives of those who died in a plane crash in Iran has cancelled in-person events for its celebration of the Persian New Year.

Tirgan said it has moved its Nowruz festival online. The annual event attracts upwards of 15,000 people, many part of the large Iranian-Canadian diaspora in the Toronto area. Many performances have been postponed, while others will continue this weekend without an audience in order to be recorded, then shown online.

The organization wanted to honour the victims of Flight 752, a Ukraine International Airlines plane that was taken down by Iranian missiles outside Tehran just after taking off. All 176 people on board — the majority of them en route to Canada — were killed.

7:38 a.m.: The Premier League and the Champions League were both suspended Friday as the chaos stemming from the coronavirus outbreak continues to impact soccer.Matches in England will be stopped until at least April 3 after five Premier League clubs said some players or staff were in self-isolation. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has tested positive for the virus, as has Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi.

6:30 a.m.: A hospital in Ottawa has established a drive-thru testing station to screen patients for COVID-19.

Queensway Carleton Hospital and Foundation says the station has been established outside its emergency department and is available to people who’ve been told by Ottawa Public Health to receive testing on the virus.

The hospital says the testing centre opened Thursday night and will be open as long as they deem necessary.

6:21 a.m. ET: Religious authorities moved to cancel or limit weekly prayer gatherings across the Middle East on Friday to help prevent the spread of the new coronavirus as they encouraged the faithful to pray for those afflicted by the global pandemic.

Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders in Jerusalem said services would continue to be held in the Holy Land but moved to limit indoor gatherings after the Israeli Health Ministry said they should not exceed 100 people.

At the Western Wall in Jerusalem, the holiest site where Jews can pray, authorities will limit entrance to an enclosed area and set up tents that accommodate up to 100 people. But the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, which oversees the site, said there would be no restrictions on worship in the main plaza as it constitutes a “wide, open space.”

Late Thursday night: The Muslim Medical Association of Canada along with the Canadian Council of Imams released a statement asking for mosques to suspend Friday prayers.

With files from The Canadian Press

Read more about: