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As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to force drastic social distancing measures, the economic ramifications continue to unfold. Financial Post technology reporter James McLeod is maintaining a liveblog of market updates and key developments for Canadian business.

Refresh this page regularly for fresh information throughout the day, and if you have business-specific tips, announcements and information that should be included here, please email jmcleod@postmedia.com.

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4:37 p.m. — More red ink in the markets: It was another day of declining values in the major North American markets. From Reuters:

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 3.12% to end at 18,576.04 points, while the S&P 500 lost 2.96% to 2,236.7. The Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.27% to 6,860.67, its overall decline cushioned by a 3.07% rise in Amazon.com .

In Toronto, the TSX/S&P Composite was down by 623.32 points, a drop of 5.26 per cent.

3:51 p.m. — Liquor stores are an essential service in Ontario: As Canada’s largest province prepares for a full shutdown on non-essential business, LCBO stores will remain open.