The latest novel coronavirus news from Canada and around the world Wednesday (this file has stopped updating. You can read the latest coverage here). Web links to longer stories if available.

7:55 p.m.: Ontario and Quebec are calling in the army to help confront the COVID-19 hot zones.

Quebec Premier François Legault and Ontario Premier Doug Ford appealed to Ottawa on Wednesday for teams of military personnel to assist with the outbreak of the virus in long-term care homes, which have emerged as especially deadly sites in this pandemic.

“Every set of boots on the ground will make a difference in this fight,” Ford said as he made a formal request to the federal government for help from the Canadian Armed Forces at five nursing homes hit hard by COVID-19.

7:41 p.m.: WestJet says it will lay off 3,000 people and cancel more than 4,000 domestic flights weekly in May as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to hammer the airline industry.

The company said it will remove some 600 daily flights from its schedule between May 5 and June 4 — about 18,000 trips in total — due to “significantly reduced guest demand.”

7:40 p.m.: The Progressive Conservative government has fixed a legal problem that made it impossible to fight tickets during the pandemic.

Under fire for hastily implemented legislation that made it impossible to contest a provincial offence, Attorney General Doug Downey is “suspending any limitation periods in statutes and regulations” during the state of emergency.

The move, which is retroactive to March 16, came as the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) expressed concern about the government rushing to judgement when scofflaws face pandemic-related fines ranging from $750 to $100,000 plus a year in jail.

5:41 p.m.: Ontario’s regional health units are reporting another 61 COVID-19 deaths and the province’s largest single-day jump in new cases, according to the Star’s count.

However, that record jump in new cases— a total of 701 more since 5 p.m. Tuesday — appears to have been fuelled in part by a change in reporting in Peel Region. On Wednesday, the health unit began including “probable” COVID-19 cases in its daily total; it was not immediately clear how many of the 211 new cases in the region would not have been counted the previous day.

Probable cases are defined as persons who have symptoms with contacts or travel history that indicate they very likely have COVID-19, but have not yet received a positive lab test. The Star’s count, which is based on the public tallies and statements of the province’s regional health units, includes probable cases where that information is available.

Regardless, the GTA’s five regional health units were responsible for the majority of the provincewide jumps in both new cases and deaths. Among 52 new deaths reported in the GTA since Tuesday evening were another 20 in Toronto, 13 more in Peel Region; eight addition fatal cases in Durham Region; five more in York Region; and another two in Halton Region.

Overall, a total of 760 people have now died with COVID-19 in the province.

In recent weeks, daily counts of new cases have continued to rise slowly in the GTA while falling slightly in the rest of the province.

The province’s slowing overall growth rates suggest the epidemic may be nearing its peak in Ontario — although it’s not yet clear if that has already happened.

Ontario’s 34 regional health units collect and publish this data often before reporting to the province through its central reporting system. As such, the Star’s count is more current than the data the province publishes each morning.

Earlier Wednesday, the province reported 878 patients are now hospitalized with COVID-19, including 243 in intensive care, of whom 192 are on a ventilator. The province also says 6,221 people have recovered after testing positive for the virus.

The province says its data is accurate to 4 p.m. the previous day. The province also cautions its latest count of deaths — 659 — may be incomplete or out of date due to delays in the reporting system, saying that in the event of a discrepancy, “data reported by (the health units) should be considered the most up to date.”

5:40 p.m.: The union representing the bulk of TTC workers announced Wednesday that two more employees at the transit agency’s Queensway garage had tested positive for COVID-19. The TTC didn’t immediately confirm, but the pair of new cases would bring the total number of workers at the facility who have contracted the disease to five.

In a statement Carlos Santos, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113, called on the TTC to close the Queensway garage in order to prevent the “potential outbreak” from becoming a “lethal cluster.”

As of Wednesday, a total of 26 TTC employees had tested positive for COVID-19.

3:50 p.m.: High Park will be closed entirely during the spring cherry tree bloom, a “very difficult” decision Mayor John Tory says was necessary to prevent crowd scenes and potential spread of COVID-19.

Tory said the photo-friendly pink fluffy blooms are expected to be out between four and 10 days starting in late April or early May, and the city will give residents notice of the closure dates closer to then.

Instead of big crowds gathering under the cherry tree grove — a gift from Japan many years ago — Torontonians will be invited to see the blooms from home via “multiple” live video streams, Tory said Wednesday.

3:20 p.m.: The Manitoba government says it will release a plan next week to gradually loosen some of the restrictions stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chief public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin says the plan is to let more businesses open, and to raise the 10-person limit on public gatherings.

But he says any large crowds will not be permitted for months and physical distancing to contain the spread of the virus will continue for the foreseeable future.

3:15 p.m.: Nursing home deaths from COVID-19 rise by 48 to 447 in Ontario, says associate medical officer Dr. Barbara Yaffe. This is a Ministry of Long-term Care number as of yesterday at 3:30 p.m.

2:40 p.m.: The Canada-U.S. border has opened slightly to asylum seekers under the new framework unveiled this week extending the historic shutdown. Those who have been crossing irregularly into Canada are still being turned back.

But the federal order laying out the terms of the new border arrangements says those who arrive at formal land border offices and meet certain criteria will be allowed in.

Canada first struck a deal with the U.S. in March to close the border to all non-essential traffic as part of global efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19. It banned nearly everyone entering from the U.S. from filing a refugee claim in Canada.

The arrangement had prompted immediate criticism that Canada was abandoning its international obligations to asylum-seekers and the new approach is being seen by some as more in line with those commitments.

2:20 p.m: Manitoba is reporting two new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total up to 257 (246 confirmed, 11 probable).

Health officials say 154 people have recovered so the number of active cases has dropped by two from yesterday to 97.

The number of deaths in Manitoba remains unchanged at six.

1:45 p.m.: For the fourth day in a row, New Brunswick is reporting no new cases of COVID-19. The provincial total remains at 118 cases.

Chief medical officer of health, Dr. Jennifer Russell says 104 cases are considered recovered.

1:45 p.m.: Premier Doug Ford throws cold water on the idea of the economy opening up by the Victoria Day weekend. He cautions against the idea of things reopening so soon.

1:35 p.m.: Ontario is requesting federal help from the Canadian Armed Forces to help in five nursing homes hit hard by COVID-19, Premier Doug Ford says.

The move comes a week after Ford declared the new coronavirus was speeding through long-term care like a “wildfire” and will see troops help with staffing relief, medical care and daily operations.

Ford says they will provide operational and logistical assistance so long-term care staff can focus on the care of residents.

Long-Term Care Minister Merrillee Fullerton said the spread of the virus is expected to continue in nursing homes.

The province has already arranged for “SWAT teams” from hospitals to go into a number of nursing homes desperately needing help.

Ontario is also planning to test every resident in the province’s 626 nursing homes, along with more staff, as COVID-19 takes an increasing toll in long-term care, according to a new directive from top health officials.

1:30 p.m.: Quebec Premier Francois Legault says he will present a plan next week to slowly reopen the province’s schools.

Legault says the return to class will be done gradually and will begin in regions where the COVID-19 situation is most stable.

He says attendance won’t be mandatory, and parents who don’t want to send their children before September won’t have to.

1:25 p.m.: Legault is asking the federal government for 1,000 Canadian Armed Forces members to help in the province’s struggling long-term care homes.

Despite extensive recruitment efforts, Legault says he was only able to fill half the 2,000 positions needed to overcome a staffing shortfall rendered critical by COVID-19.

The Canadian Armed Forces have already committed about 130 medically-trained staff and personnel members to help in care homes, but Legault said the additional people he’s requesting won’t necessarily have medical qualifications but can help with general tasks.

The province reported 93 new deaths and 839 new cases today, for a total of 1,134, and 839 more cases, for a total of 20,965.

1 p.m.: Premier Doug Ford is expected to expand upon the details of Ontario’s plans to test all nursing-home residents for COVID-19 at his 1:15 p.m. press briefing. A livestream of his news conference will be available at thestar.com.

12:50 p.m.: Newfoundland and Labrador is reporting no new cases of COVID-19. Dr Janice Fitzgerald, the province’s chief medical officer of health, says the total number of confirmed cases declined by one to 256 after one negative test result was incorrectly reported as positive.

Six people are in hospital and two are in intensive care, and 199 people have recovered. Fitzgerald says the province will be able to relax some distancing measures in the near future, but warns that the province’s citizens shouldn’t expect a full return to normal any time soon.

12:50 p.m.: The country’s medical officers of health are at work setting criteria that from a health perspective could provide guidance on when physical distancing restrictions can ease up.

Several provinces are now considering loosening their lockdowns.

Chief Public Health Officer Teresa Tam says criteria that might be included are the rate of hospitalizations, new cases being reported daily and how the virus appears to be reproducing. She says the special advisory committee on COVID-19 is actively at work on the details of that guidance now.

12:50 p.m.: Prince Edward Island is reporting no new cases of COVID-19 Wednesday, and the provincial total remains at 26.

Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Heather Morrison, says 24 people are considered recovered. The province hopes to begin easing some of the public health restrictions next month, but Morrison says the ease-back plan will have to be done carefully.

She says people should only be travelling to Prince Edward Island for essential reasons.

12:45 p.m.: The Manitoba government is offering some financial aid to small and medium-sized businesses hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic. Premier Brian Pallister says interest-free loans of $6,000 will be available to businesses that have had to scale back operations.

The loans will be forgiven at the end of the year for businesses that have not qualified for federal programs. Pallister says the money is not enough to make up for all the revenue being lost by businesses, but should help employers make it through the coming months.

12:30 p.m.: Premier Doug Ford is not yet ready to cancel the school year. While Ontario schools have been closed since March 23 due to COVID-19, and will be staying shut well into May, Ford hinted at some hopeful news on Wednesday. A livestream of his daily 1 p.m. briefing to reporters will be available at thestar.com

12:20 p.m.: Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam says over 576,000 people have now been tested for COVID-19 in Canada. She says 6.5 per cent of those tests were positive.

Tam says as Canada continues to make progress in slowing the spread, there are bumps in the road that mean the country can’t let down its guard. She says a focus must be placed on stopping outbreaks in places like seniors homes and other places where vulnerable populations live together in close quarters.

12:10 p.m.: Ontario is expanding COVID-19 testing to every resident and worker in the province’s long-term care homes, as nearly 450 residents have died amid growing outbreaks in the facilities.

Provincial health officials have previously resisted calls for such widespread testing of asymptomatic people.

But a new memo from the deputy ministers of health and long-term care, as well as Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, tells public health units to immediately develop plans for the broad testing.

As of today, there have been at least 448 deaths in long-term care in Ontario, amid outbreaks at 127 facilities.

11:50 a.m.: Trudeau says that over the past month about 20,000 Canadians have returned to the country on repatriation flights.

He says he knows there are still Canadians all around the world who still want to come back, and the government continues to work with other countries to make that happen. All returning Canadians are required to quarantine for 14 days.

11:30 a.m.: Nova Scotia is reporting two more deaths related to COVID-19, bringing the province’s total to 12. The deaths occurred at the Northwood long-term care home in Halifax.

The province is also reporting 35 new cases of the virus bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 772. It says 10 licensed long-term care homes and unlicensed seniors’ facilities in Nova Scotia are dealing with cases of COVID-19, involving 148 residents and 65 staff.

11:20 a.m. (updated): Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is unveiling a $9 billion emergency program aimed at students. It includes a Canada Emergency Student Benefit worth at least $1250 a month from May to August.

The benefit can be accessed by those in post-secondary school now, headed to post secondary school in September or anyone who graduated after December 2019. The government is also creating 76,000 job placements for young people in sectors currently dealing with labour shortages.

The Canada Emergency Student Benefit will give students $1,250 a month from May to August, $1,750 if the student is supporting someone or living with a disability.

11:10 a.m. (updated): Trudeau on Wednesday is expected to announce details of an aid package to students that includes targeted payments as well as a volunteer program for students, grants and funding for post-secondary institutions, according to a source familiar with the announcement. A livestream of his 11:15 a.m. news conference will be available at thestar.com

11:05 a.m. (updated): With 461 new COVID-19 cases since Tuesday morning, Ontario’s regional health units are reporting another 24 hours of slowed case growth, according to the Star’s count.

As of 11 a.m. Wednesday, the Star has counted a total of 13,163 confirmed or probable cases of the disease, including 715 deaths, an increase of 39 fatal cases from the same time Tuesday.

For the second day in a row, the daily total of new COVID-19 cases in the province — just 3.6 per cent since 11 a.m. Tuesday — represents among the slowest 24 hours of growth the Star has counted by percentage increase since the beginning of the pandemic.

Even as the raw number of new cases reported each day remains high, the fact this percentage increase has become much slower than the rapid, exponential jumps seen in late March is a sign the epidemic’s curve is somewhere on the path toward flattening.

In the second half of March, the province saw an average daily growth of 20 per cent, a rate that doubled Ontario’s case count about every four days. In the first half of April, that rate slowed to an average of 9.5 per cent daily growth, or doubling about every eight days. And the days since have averaged increases of about five per cent daily, or a doubling time of around two weeks.

Those slowing growth rates suggest the epidemic may be nearing its peak in Ontario — although it’s not yet clear if that has already happened.

Meantime, COVID-19 deaths continue to grow day-by-day. The new fatal cases reported since Monday morning include anther seven in Peel Region, up to a total of 58 fatal cases.

The Star publishes two counts a day, at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. They are based on the public tallies and statements of the province’s regional health units, the local bodies that collect and publish this data often before reporting to the province through its central reporting system. As such, the Star’s count is more current than the data the province publishes each morning.

Earlier Wednesday, the province reported 878 patients are now hospitalized with COVID-19, including 243 in intensive care, of whom 192 are on a ventilator. The province also says 6,221 people have recovered after testing positive for the virus.

The province says its data is accurate to 4 p.m. the previous day. The province also cautions its latest count of deaths — 659 — may be incomplete or out of date due to delays in the reporting system, saying that in the event of a discrepancy, “data reported by (the health units) should be considered the most up to date.”

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.

10:45 a.m.: Our resident foodie Karon Liu asked Star readers what their pantries were looking like during the pandemic. As expected, the answers were just as diverse as the city itself. Click here to read his story.

10:15 a.m.: Getting Ontarians back to some semblance of normal life, even an easing of restrictions, depends on the government getting on top of COVID-19 in long-term-care and other group settings. Click here to read the Star’s view.

9:40 a.m.: The coronavirus now ranks as one of the most deadly diseases in Canada, according to statistics analyzed by the Star.

On average, 40 people a day have succumbed to the virus since the first death was recorded in British Columbia on March 8. That number puts the virus third after cancer and heart disease in terms of daily deaths.

Read the story from the Star’s Patty Winsa and Andrew Bailey.

9:25 a.m.: Toronto’s public health unit will expand its data collecting capabilities so that it can better assess the pandemic’s impact by race and income. Read the story from the Star’s Sara Mojtehedzadeh.

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9:10 a.m.: The chief of a First Nation in northeastern Alberta says a local curfew has been imposed between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., affecting all members of the Fort Chipewyan, Allison Bay and Doghead reserves.

Chief Archie Waquan of the Mikisew Cree First Nation says he remembers his father’s stories about the influenza pandemic of 1918 and he is not going to let COVID-19 devastate his people in the same way.

Waquan says he recognizes there may be opposition to the curfew but he doesn’t want a repeat of the Spanish flu outbreak when his father told him the First Nation could not bury its dead fast enough.

The First Nation has no cases of COVID-19 but proactively declared a state of local emergency last month and took other steps to ensure members have access to food and cleaning supplies.

9:05 a.m.: Lululemon is apologizing after its art director shared a “bat fried rice” T-shirt design on social media that has been slammed online as “racist” and “anti-Asian” amid the coronavirus pandemic.

On Sunday, Trevor Fleming, the senior global art director of Lululemon, shared a link on Instagram to the T-shirt design first shared by California artist Jess Sluder. (Fleming’s Instagram account has since been deleted.)

The design featured a Chinese take-out box decorated with bat wings and the words “no thank you” on the back. The shirt, titled “Bat Fried Rice,” was listed for purchase at $60 (U.S.) before it was taken down

9 a.m. (updated): There are over 70 million people worldwide who have been driven from their homes by war and unrest, up to 10 million are packed into refugee camps and informal settlements, and almost none have been tested for the coronavirus.

While the relative isolation of many camps may have slowed the virus’ spread, none is hermetically sealed. Without testing, as the world has seen repeatedly, the virus can spread unchecked until people start showing symptoms. That could have catastrophic results among the world’s refugees: There will be few if any intensive care beds or ventilators for them. There might not even be gloves or masks.

Refugees have already tested positive in Italy, Germany, Iran, Australia and Greece, where authorities said Tuesday that 150 people living in a quarantined hotel for asylum-seekers had contracted the coronavirus, and none displayed symptoms of COVID-19.

In many camps, cramped conditions and poor infrastructure can make it impossible to practice social distancing and frequent hand-washing.

On Wednesday, a Palestinian woman from war-ravaged Syria became the first refugee living in a camp in Lebanon to test positive, sparking a round of testing by health officials to see if any other residents have been infected.

8:32 a.m.: Even with many former virus hotspots seeing a reduction in new deaths and hospitalizations, a flurry of cancellations of major events made it clear Wednesday that efforts to return to normal life could still be a long and dispiriting process.

In just the past day, the U.S. scrapped the national spelling bee in June, Spain called off the Running of the Bulls in July, and Germany cancelled Oktoberfest five months away. Singapore, once a model of coronavirus tracking and prevention, saw an explosion of new cases and announced it would extend its lockdown into June.

Nevertheless there was growing impatience over virus-related shutdowns that have thrown tens of millions out of work, and more countries and U.S. states began taking steps to get back to business.

8:30 a.m.: The Yonkers hospital in New York, which sits near the Bronx border and serves one of the poorest sections of Westchester County’s largest city, has been besieged by the new coronavirus. Half of the approximately 280 staff members who were tested for the disease were positive — with another 25 to 30 still awaiting results, according to Dean Civitello, the vice-president for human resources.

The Associated Press was granted access to the facility’s emergency room, which at one point earlier in the pandemic had 28 patients waiting to be treated and ambulances lined up outside with more, said Dr. James Neuendorf, Saint Joseph’s medical director.

8:15 a.m.: As people across the globe stay home to stop the spread of the new coronavirus, the air has cleaned up, albeit temporarily. Smog stopped choking New Delhi, one of the most polluted cities in the world, and India’s getting views of sights not visible in decades. Nitrogen dioxide pollution in the northeastern United States is down 30 per cent. Rome air pollution levels from mid-March to mid-April were down 49 per cent from a year ago. Stars seem more visible at night.

People are also noticing animals in places and at times they don’t usually. Coyotes have meandered along downtown Chicago’s Michigan Avenue and near San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. A puma roamed the streets of Santiago, Chile. Goats took over a town in Wales. In India, already daring wildlife has become bolder with hungry monkeys entering homes and opening refrigerators to look for food.

8 a.m.: Reports to authorities about suspected child abuse or neglect are down as much as 40 per cent in some regions but child advocates say it’s not because fewer kids are at risk.

Sara Austin, the founder and CEO of Children First Canada, said they have seen reports of child abuse to authorities across Canada fall between 30 and 40 per cent since the crisis began in mid-March. She said there was a small spike in reports in the first few days but since then, the numbers have gone down everywhere.

“It’s very worrisome,” said Austin. “We don’t have any reason to believe child abuse is going down. It’s that those who are trusted adults in the lives of children no longer see them.”

7:37 a.m. Metro Inc. reported its second-quarter profit rose from a year ago and sales climbed as shoppers began stocking up due to the pandemic during the last two weeks of the period.

The grocery and drug store company says it earned $176.2 million or 69 cents per diluted share for the 12-week period ended March 14 compared with a profit of $121.5 million or 47 cents per diluted share in the same quarter a year earlier.

Sales for the quarter totalled $3.99 billion, up from $3.70 billion a year earlier. Food same-store sales were up 9.7 per cent for the quarter, while pharmacy same-store sales were up 7.9 per cent.

7:32 a.m. India said Wednesday that it plans to manufacture thousands of wristbands that will monitor the locations and temperatures of coronavirus patients and help perform contact tracing.

The wristband project aims to track quarantined patients, aid health workers and those delivering essential services as India ramps up surveillance as it begins to ease one of the world’s strictest virus lockdowns.

India has 19,984 confirmed cases of coronavirus, including 640 deaths, and experts fear the epidemic’s peak could still be weeks away. Thousands of wristbands are expected to be deployed, but an exact figure has not been released.

The wristbands mirror a similar program in Hong Kong, where authorities used bands to monitor overseas travellers ordered to self-isolate.

6:06 a.m.: As people across the globe stay home to stop the spread of the new coronavirus, the air has cleaned up.

In India, on the first day of the lockdown, the average PM 2.5 levels decreased by 22 per cent and nitrogen dioxide — which comes from burning fossil fuels — dropped by 15 per cent, according to air pollution data analyzed by the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air.

Nitrogen dioxide pollution in the northeastern United States is down 30 per cent. And in Rome air pollution levels from mid-March to mid-April were down 49 per cent from a year ago.

Compared to the previous five years, March air pollution is down 46 per cent in Paris, 35 per cent in Bengaluru, India, 38 per cent in Sydney, 29 per cent in Los Angeles, 26 per cent in Rio de Janeiro and 9 per cent in Durban, South Africa, NASA measurements show.

4 a.m.: The federal government is expected to announce today more significant financial support for students and other young Canadians struggling to stay afloat and find jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new measures are intended to target support at young people who have fallen through the cracks of other emergency financial assistance.

Some students, for instance, have complained that they don’t qualify for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit.

It provides $500 a week for up to 16 weeks to Canadians who have lost their jobs due to the pandemic and had an income of at least $5,000 in the previous 12 months — criteria that doesn’t apply to many students.

Wednesday’s measures are in addition to some steps the federal government has already taken to specifically help young people weather the health crisis.

It has put a six-month, interest-free moratorium on student loan repayments.

It has also bolstered the Canada Summer Jobs program in a bid to encourage employers to hire young workers for essential jobs.

4 a.m.: The latest numbers of confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases in Canada as of 4 a.m. ET on April 22, 2020:

There are 38,422 confirmed and presumptive cases in Canada.

Quebec: 20,126 confirmed (including 1,041 deaths, 4,048 resolved)

Ontario: 11,735 confirmed (including 622 deaths, 5,806 resolved)

Alberta: 3,095 confirmed (including 61 deaths, 1,273 resolved)

British Columbia: 1,724 confirmed (including 87 deaths, 1,041 resolved)

Nova Scotia: 737 confirmed (including 10 deaths, 286 resolved)

Saskatchewan: 320 confirmed (including 4 deaths, 252 resolved)

Newfoundland and Labrador: 257 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 194 resolved)

Manitoba: 246 confirmed (including 6 deaths, 150 resolved), 9 presumptive

New Brunswick: 118 confirmed (including 92 resolved)

Prince Edward Island: 26 confirmed (including 23 resolved)

Repatriated Canadians: 13 confirmed

Yukon: 11 confirmed (including 8 resolved)

Northwest Territories: 5 confirmed (including 5 resolved)

Nunavut: No confirmed cases

12:46 a.m.: There are clusters of COVID-19 cases among crew on two ships in Taiwan and Japan.

Japanese officials said Wednesday that 33 crew members on a docked cruise ship tested positive for the coronavirus in one day of testing after the first case from the ship was reported.

The Italian-operated Costa Atlantica has been docked in Nagasaki since late January for repairs and maintenance by Mitsubishi Heavy Industry. The ship carries 623 crew members, but it was empty of passengers during the work.

The outbreak surfaced Tuesday when the first crew member tested positive for the virus.

None of those infected had serious symptoms and all are isolated in single rooms on the ship, officials said.

In Taiwan, there is a virus cluster on a navy ship that has infected 27 people. “I want to present my apologies for letting Taiwanese people bear the risk of the epidemic,” President Tsai Ing-wen said.

Tuesday 10:34 p.m.: China on Wednesday again reported no new deaths from the coronavirus, but registered 30 more cases — 23 of them brought from abroad.

Of the domestic cases, all seven were reported in Heilongjiang province near the Russian border where a field hospital has been set up to deal with a new flare-up related to people coming home from abroad. Just over 1,000 people are hospitalized for treatment, while about the same number are under isolation and monitoring as either suspected cases or after testing positive but showing no symptoms.

The capital of Heilongjiang province is tightening rules on coronavirus prevention and control as cases rise. State media reported residential compounds in Harbin and villages on the outskirts were ordered to restrict access and install monitoring equipment on the doors of people forced to self-quarantine. Heilongjiang province has become a hot spot, mainly due to Chinese citizens flying in from Russia.

Tuesday 8:15 p.m.: Two meat-packing plants in southern Alberta have been tied to more cases of COVID-19.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw, the province’s chief medical officer, says there are 401 cases at the Cargill plant in High River, up from 360.

And there are 77 cases at the JSB plant in Brooks, up from 67.

Read more of Tuesday’s coverage here.