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

11:30 p.m.: Real Canadian Superstore confirms a case of COVID-19 in an employee at its store on Gibb Street in Oshawa, Ontario. Loblaw says it is the first confirmed case in its store employees. It will have the store deep cleaned and investigate who the person had contact with over recent shifts.

8:51 p.m.: Ontario releases a list of what it considers essential services, after announcing non-essential services will be shut down for two weeks starting Wednesday.

8:30 p.m.: British Columbia politicians unanimously passed legislation to spend $5 billion to help the province fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

8:00 p.m.: The TTC will stop accepting cash, tickets, and tokens on all of its bus routes and will ask passengers to only use the vehicles’ rear doors in effort to protect the agency’s drivers from the spread of COVID-19. Until further notice, the only way for bus riders to pay on the vehicles will be with the Presto fare card.

6:15 p.m.: Alberta now has 42 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total in the province to 301.

5:30 p.m.: Ontario announces no new cases of COVID-19 in its second daily update, making today’s total of new cases in the province 78.

3:42 p.m.: When asked how long it would take for people to find out results for their COVID-19 tests, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health Dr. David Williams said ideally within 12 to 24 hours. But right now, patients should learn their results in no more than three or four days. In the latest numbers reported by the province, 8,417 cases were listed as under investigation.

3:30 p.m.: Mayor John Tory says “time is of the essence” as he declared a statement of emergency in Toronto. Asked if it that allowed him to impose curfews or shut transit, Tory says no specific discussion of those measures. He wants to see empty streets, but doesnt’ think city needs curfew.

3:25 p.m.: Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart says now is the time to “shut down, stay put, save lives.”

He made the statement in a tweet shortly after Vancouver council held an online meeting to vote unanimously in favour of tough penalties for anyone violating efforts to halt the spread of COVID-19.

Following last week’s declaration of local emergency, council has approved fines of up to $50,000 on businesses and $1,000 for residents who ignore procedures aimed at ensuring social distancing.

During discussion of the motion, the city’s legal adviser told council that police officers and fire fighters would have the authority to issue the fines.

3:17 p.m.: Syrians rushed to stock up on food and fuel Monday amid fears that authorities would resort to even stricter measures after reporting the first coronavirus infection in the country, where the health care system has been decimated by nearly a decade of civil war.

The arrival of the global pandemic in Syria as well as the Gaza Strip has raised concerns it could run rampant in some of the most vulnerable areas in the Middle East. War-torn Libya and Yemen, which have yet to report any cases, are also a source of concern.

The worst outbreak in the Middle East is unfolding in Iran, where authorities reported another 127 deaths on Monday, bringing the total number of fatalities to more than 1,800 amid more than 23,000 confirmed cases.

3:05 p.m.: The City of Mississauga announces that all facilities within its 500-plus parks will close including playgrounds, outdoor fitness equipment, sport courts, leash-free zones, picnic shelters and skateboard parks.

3 p.m.: Mayor John Tory declares state of emergency in Toronto. He said medical officer of health and head of emergency operations advised him at 10 a.m. that city should declare emergency to fight COVID-19. He agreed, and notified Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier Doug Ford. The move gives greater powers to Tory and the Office of Emergency Management to enforce social isolation and curb the spread of the pandemic.

Tory said despite strong urging to residents and businesses for social distancing, he continues to see behaviour that is “selfish, unacceptable and it cannot continue.” The declaration sends strongest possible message to them it must stop, he says.

2:40 p.m.: No new cases of COVID-19 are reported in New Brunswick today.

Dr. Jennifer Russell, chief medical officer of health, says there are still 17 total cases — confirmed and presumptive — in the province.

The Dr. Georges L. Dumont Hospital in Moncton is now able to confirm test results, meaning the province won’t have to send tests to the national lab for confirmation.

Premier Blaine Higgs says people and businesses need to follow directives on social distancing and self-isolating.

He says officials have checked businesses across the province and the compliance rate is 94 per cent. Higgs says the target is 100 per cent.

2:25 p.m.: Lawmakers from U.S. states that border Canada are urging President Donald Trump to preserve the flow of essential goods and services between the two countries.

And they want those channels to stay open even if the global pandemic forces more stringent quarantines and travel restrictions in the United States.

New York senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, both Democrats, have written Trump to emphasize the importance of bilateral travel to certain businesses, families and communities, including hospitals and medical equipment providers.

The letter was co-signed by 18 other border-state lawmakers, including Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown.

2:07 p.m.: Italy has recorded a smaller day-to-day increase in new coronavirus cases for the second straight day, officials said while cautioning it was too soon to know if the worst is behind the country with the world’s second-biggest caseload.

Data released by Italy’s Civil Protection agency on Monday showed 4,789 new cases, nearly 800 fewer than the day-to-day increase of 5,560 new cases reported Sunday.

The number of deaths also did not rise by as much. There were just over 600 registered on Monday compared to 651 on Sunday.

Italy has been anxious to see the day-to-day figures for new cases and deaths go down as its health system struggles under the weight of the world’s largest COVID-19 outbreak outside of China.

As of Monday, Italy had a total of 59,138 virus cases compared to China’s 81,496.

2:05 p.m.: Newfoundland and Labrador has announced 15 new presumptive cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases in the province to 24. Four have been confirmed positive.

Dr. Janice Fitzgerald, the province’s chief medical officer of health, says nine of the new cases are linked to previous cases, two are travel-related and the rest are being investigated.

Fitzgerald ordered additional business closures today under the public health emergency declared last week, including non-essential retail stores and spas, hair salons and other aesthetic services.

She ordered restaurants to close in-person dining and prohibited gatherings of more than 10 people, including weddings, wakes and funerals.

2:04 p.m.: Construction workers who don’t feel safe on the job because of overflowing outhouses and no hand sanitizer should “leave the site,” says Premier Doug Ford.

1:58 p.m.: Mayor John Tory will this afternoon declare a state of emergency for the City of Toronto in response to the growing COVID-19 crisis, sources confirm to the Star’s David Rider. The move will give greater powers to Tory and the Office of Emergency Management to enforce social isolation and curb the spread of the pandemic. A source close to the matter said Tory will tell Torontonians the move will allow him to make decisions or undertake bylaws on his own, without council approval.

1:55 p.m.: Students won’t be going back to school April 6, Premier Doug Ford says. “April 6 is not a reality right now,” Ford says. Education Minister Stephen Lecce said earlier today that parents should be prepared for a longer break past April 5.

1:48 p.m.: Premier Doug Ford forcefully implores anyone who has travelled anywhere to self-isolate. “If you’re coming from the airport . . . do not stop at a store.” Ford notes the “rules in Florida are not the rules in Ontario.”

1:31 p.m.: Only essential services in Ontario can stay open starting in 36 hours. “This is not the time for half-measures . . .we’ve seen countries lose this battle,” Ford says. A list will come out Tuesday. The order will be effective Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. and will be in place for at least 14 days.

1:25 p.m.: The total number of COVID-19 cases has nearly tripled in Quebec, reaching 628.

Premier Francois Legault says there is reason to believe the novel coronavirus is now being transmitted in the community.

He says all non-essential businesses will be ordered to close no later than midnight Tuesday, adding that grocery stores and pharmacies will be among those allowed to remain open.

The number of cases jumped by 409 since Sunday. There are 45 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Quebec, of whom 20 are in intensive care.

1:18 p.m.: Ontario Premier Doug Ford to announce a shutdown of all non-essential services to curb spread of COVID-19. Only essential manufacturers and supply chain providers as well as supermarkets, pharmacies, LCBO and takeout restaurants to remain open, the Star’s Robert Benzie reports. More details Tuesday.

1:13 p.m.: British Columbia has recorded three more deaths from COVID-19 since Saturday.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says 472 people have now tested positive for the respiratory virus.

She says the three deaths were all related to long-term care facilities, including one in the Lynn Valley care centre in North Vancouver where several other deaths have occurred, and another at a care home in downtown Vancouver.

Henry says of the 472 positive cases, 33 people have been hospitalized and 14 are in intensive care.

She says 100 people now listed as “recovered” have been released from isolation.

In total, the virus has so far claimed the lives of 13 people in the province.

12:50 p.m.: Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s phone call with premiers later today will be important for getting a sense of the situation in different provinces and whether the federal government needs to do more.

Freeland was responding to questions about whether the federal government plans to invoke the Emergencies Act this week.

Health Minister Patty Hajdu is also leaving the door open to strict enforcement of social distancing, describing it as “not nice to have,” but absolutely essential.

Chief public health officer Theresa Tam, meanwhile, says more than a dozen people remain in quarantine at CFB Trenton after being evacuated from the Grand Princess cruise ship earlier this month and subsequently testing positive for COVID-19.

Tam also says public-health authorities are continuing “rigorous contact tracing” to identify anyone who comes in contact with a person who has COVID-19.

12:45 p.m.: Prince Edward Island’s chief public health officer, Dr. Heather Morrison, says there are no new cases of COVID-19 in the province.

There are still just three confirmed cases on P.E.I. She says 400 tests have been done so far and she wants that to increase in the days ahead.

12:10 p.m.: Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s public health officer, says there are 1,474 cases of COVID-19 in Canada and 20 deaths. She says there are more cases being seen among people with no travel history.

12:05 p.m.: Ontario says it will provide $200 million in relief funding to food banks, shelters and other emergency services in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The funding aims to help municipalities and other providers deliver services and hire additional staff to help their clients.

The province says local municipal service managers will be able to allocate the funding where they need it most.

12:02 p.m.: Manitoba officials are telling people to cancel non-essential travel outside of the province as another case of COVID-19 is confirmed.

Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba’s chief provincial public health officer, says anyone who returns from travel, either international or domestic, should self-isolate for 14 days.

The latest case is a man in his 50s from Winnipeg and it is believed to be travel-related.

Roussin said one other probable case has been found not to be the novel coronavirus. There are a total of 20 confirmed and presumptive cases of the virus in Manitoba.

12 p.m.: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is announcing multiple new flights to bring home Canadians who have been stranded abroad due to the novel coronavirus.

Trudeau says Air Canada, Air Transat, WestJet and Sunwing airlines all have flights planned this week.

The government announced earlier today there would be three new Air Canada flights to bring Canadians back from Peru, which has otherwise closed its airspace.

Trudeau says two more Air Canada flights are confirmed to reach Canadians in Morocco in the coming days.

Trudeau says an Air Canada flight to Spain is also confirmed, while Air Transat has been cleared for two flights to Honduras and one each to Ecuador, El Salvador and Guatemala.

11:53 a.m.: Alberta is prioritizing who will be tested for COVID-19.

Groups at the greatest risk of local exposure and people in high-risk populations are to receive tests first if they show symptoms.

Included will be people in hospital with respiratory illness, residents in continuing care homes and travellers who returned from abroad between March 8th and March 12th before self-isolation was required.

Health-care workers who have respiratory symptoms will also receive priority.

11:35 a.m.: As Premier Doug Ford scrambles to help Ontario’s most vulnerable people, NDP Leader Andrea Horwath is calling for immediate $2,000 payments to households facing economic hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more by clicking here.

11:30 a.m.: Thirteen new cases of COVID-19 have been identified in Nova Scotia, bringing the province’s total to 41.

The new cases were confirmed yesterday and announced this morning.

The province says the cases are related to travel or to earlier reported cases.

It says the 41 individuals affected range in age from under 10 to mid-70s.

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At this point, there has been no evidence of spread within communities.

11:20 a.m.: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government is planning to invest $192 million to help create and produce vaccines for COVID-19.

The money will be distributed to a number of different companies and universities in the drive to find a way to stop the illness’s spread.

The federal government is also unveiling advertisements to hammer home the importance of social distancing.

The move is in response to concerns some people are continuing to ignore calls for distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

11:15 a.m.: Trudeau says “go home and stay home” amid concerns too many flouting social distancing and warns authorities will move to “enforcing the rules if needed.”

11 a.m.: At least six of the new cases in Ontario are in hospital, including a woman in her 30s, a man in his 40s, two people in their 50s and two people in their 70s.

Information on dozens of the new cases is listed as pending.

Meanwhile, Ontario also enhanced its COVID-19 self-assessment tool Monday, making it interactive and allowing the province to gather data from it.

The new tool takes users through a series of questions about their symptoms and will help people determine if they are likely to have COVID-19 and what to do.

10:49 a.m.: It’s the biggest one-day increase of new COVID-19 cases in Ontario. The province reports that 28,506 patients have been tested, and 19,586 were deemed negative. There are 8,417 cases under investigation. Six people have died and eight are resolved which means the patient is no longer infectious based on two consecutive negative tests at least 24 hours apart. At least six of the new patients arein hospital.

10:45 a.m.: Ontario reports 78 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the provincial total to 503.

10:32 a.m.: Mirvish Productions announce the cancellation of its two remaining shows — “Room” and “Indecent” — in the 2019-20 Off-Mirvish Season. For refunds or credits, go to mirvish.com or call TicketKing at 416-872-1212 or 1-800-461-3333.

10 a.m.: Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says it won’t be possible for the government to repatriate all Canadians stranded abroad due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In an interview with CBC’s The Current this morning, Champagne says the challenges the government faces are unprecedented with airport and airspace closures, border closures and the fact some countries have imposed martial law.

He says Global Affairs Canada has had 10,000 calls and 14,000 emails in the last 48 hours.

Earlier today, the minister said on Twitter that the government has arranged for three new flights to bring stranded Canadians home from Peru.

9:26 a.m.: Dr. Anthony Fauci says he can’t jump in front of the microphone to stop President Donald Trump from speaking at daily White House briefings on the coronavirus outbreak.

The top infectious disease expert in U.S. tells Science magazine in an interview that Trump listens “even though we disagree on some things.”

Trump and Fauci sparred politely but publicly last week over whether a malaria drug would work to treat people with the coronavirus disease.

9:05 a.m.: Anyone who ignores Vancouver’s state of local emergency declaration could receive a ticket and stiff fine if city council approves a recommendation supporting enhanced powers to enforce it.

Council votes later today on the recommendation that would immediately impose fines of up to $50,000 on businesses violating the declaration.

If approved, bylaw officers would also have the power to hand out $1,000 tickets to anyone not honouring social distancing requirements to stay at least one metre apart.

9 a.m.: Ottawa says arrangements have been made to help repatriate Canadians stranded in Peru due to COVID-19 related restrictions.

Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says in a tweet that the government has secured authorizations for Air Canada to operate three flights from that country this week.

The minister is urging Canadians in Peru to register with the federal government so they can receive further information.

Champagne said Saturday that negotiations are also underway with other countries that have closed airspace and borders to try to get Canadians out.

8:34 a.m.: Asked about this summer’s Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics amid the spread of the new coronavirus, 69 per cent of people in Japan polled said it is better to postpone the event, 17 per cent said it is better to hold it as planned, and eight per cent said it is better to cancel it.

The nationwide opinion poll was conducted by telephone by The Yomiuri Shimbun from Friday through Sunday.

Canada on Sunday night became the first country to withdraw from the Olympics if they go ahead this year.

8:15 a.m.: The latest update on the Johns Hopkins website Monday morning report the number of cases worldwide at 349,211 with 15,308 deaths. Among those, 100,165 have recovered from the illness. China still has the highest number of cases (81,496), followed by Italy (59,138), the United States (35,224), Spain (33,089) and Germany (26,220).

Just one week ago, according to the World Health Organization, there were 167,511 confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide as of 10 a.m. March 16.

The Canadian Press reported at the end of day March 15, there were 341 confirmed and presumed cases in Canada. One week later, as of the end Sunday night, CP reported that there were 1,472 cases nationally (43 presumptive, 1,429 confirmed including 21 deaths, 15 resolved).

7:55 a.m.: Canadian Blood Services says it’s concerned that the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a spike in cancellations for blood donation appointments in several cities.

The organization, which is responsible for the national blood system outside Quebec, says it’s safe for those who aren’t ill to give blood.

The agency says those who have been told by public health authorities to self-quarantine, or who live with a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19, are also barred from donating for 14 days after their last contact with the infected, or potentially infected, person.

It says Canada’s blood inventory is currently strong but the cancellations are worrying given that shortages have been reported in other countries affected by the novel coronavirus.

7:33 a.m. Transat AT Inc. says it has temporarily laid off about 70 per cent of its workforce in Canada, about 3,600 people.

The decision comes as non-essential travel around the world comes to a standstill as governments close borders in an effort to slow the COVID-19 pandemic.

Transat says some of these layoffs are effective immediately, while others will take effect following advance notice of up to one month.

The layoffs include all flight crew personnel.

6:10 a.m.: Iran is reporting another 127 coronavirus deaths, bringing its death toll to 1,812 amid 23,049 confirmed cases. Iran is battling the worst outbreak in the Middle East, and has faced widespread criticism for not imposing stricter quarantine measures early on. It is also suffering under severe American sanctions imposed after President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. State TV reported the latest figures on Monday

4:01 a.m.: A Toronto hospital is accepting donations of face masks and other protective gear from members of the public in an effort to ward off what some say is an impending shortage.

The Personal Protective Equipment Drive at Michael Garron Hospital comes a day after two Ontario medical associations sounded the alarm about the supply of N95 and surgical masks.

The Ontario Medical Association and the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario said there is a large stockpile of the masks that have expired but should still be used in lower-risk areas.

The associations are also calling on anyone with masks not currently being used to hand them over so they can be used by health workers.

4 a.m.: The latest numbers of confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases in Canada as of 4 a.m. on March 23, 2020:

There are 1472 confirmed and presumptive cases in Canada.

British Columbia: 424 confirmed (including 10 deaths, 6 resolved)

Ontario: 502 confirmed (including 6 deaths, 8 resolved)

Alberta: 301 confirmed (including 1 death)

Quebec: 219 confirmed (including 4 deaths, 1 resolved)

Saskatchewan: 33 confirmed, 19 presumptive

Nova Scotia: 28 confirmed

Manitoba: 11 confirmed, 9 presumptive

New Brunswick: 8 confirmed, 9 presumptive

Canadians quarantined at CFB Trenton: 13 confirmed

Newfoundland and Labrador: 3 confirmed, 6 presumptive

Prince Edward Island: 3 confirmed

The Territories: 3 confirmed

Total: 1,472 (43 presumptive, 1429 confirmed including 21 deaths, 15 resolved)