Daily COVID-19 Update - April 3, 2020
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These are the essential updates related to COVID-19 for April 3, 2020.
Ontario Announces New Business Shutdowns
Ontario has amended their list of essential businesses today, further limiting the number of businesses that can remain open . This includes shutting down private sector industrial, commercial and institutional construction projects. All businesses no longer deemed to be essential are required to close by tomorrow, April 4 at 11:59 p.m.
You can review the revised list of businesses deemed essential here
GST/HST Credit
The GST/HST Credit for lower income Canadians was expanded as a result of COVID-19 so that every qualifying adult will receive up to $300. The Prime Minister announced today that Canadians will receive this money starting April 9, rather than in May as expected.
Direct Deposit for CERB
Applications for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) will be available starting on Monday and the funds can be deposited through direct deposit. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has suggested that if you have not already done so, contact your bank to ensure you are able to sign up for direct deposit to receive your funds in a timely manner.
CBC Kids Video Conference
Justin Trudeau will be answering questions from kids about coronavirus in a video conference that will be published on CBC at 9 a.m on Sunday, April 5. If your kids or any kids you know have questions about coronavirus for the Prime Minister they can submit them to CBC by 6 p.m. today.
The question can be a photo, video or email. Make sure to include the following information: your name, your age, where you’re from. Email the question to cbckidsnews@cbc.ca.
Ontario COVID-19 Projections
Ontario has released projections today about how many people are expected to be infected with COVID-19, and how many deaths are expected.
Had we taken no measures at all, it was projected that Ontario would have seen 300,000 cases of COVID-19 and 6,000 deaths by the end of April.
With the current public health measures that are in place, it is expected that Ontario will see 80,000 cases of COVID-19 and 1,600 deaths by the end of April.
These projections will depend on Ontarians continued commitment to social distancing and proper hygiene procedures, as well as staying home as much as possible.
We get new information about this outbreak on a daily basis so projections will continue to be refined.