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Summary
- Canada may renew travel ban, restrictions after spike in new cases.
- Opposition has blamed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau-led government for not doing enough.
- The Prime Minister dispelled fears about vaccine shortage.
The Justin Trudeau government has urged Canadians to avoid all non-essential travel abroad as Canada saw more than 4,000 new coronavirus cases added to the global list of 100 million infections.
A spurt of new infections was reported over the weekend, especially in Ontario, Quebec, and Toronto, after a relative pause in fresh cases that put the government on high alert.
The health ministry said hundreds of new cases were reported from Ontario, Quebec, Toronto, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Atlantic Canada, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Alberta, and British Columbia, among others, bringing the total number of infections to 757,022, and 19,403 deaths.
At a news conference in Ottawa, the Prime Minister vowed that " bad choices” by a handful cannot be allowed to put others at risk.
Demand for travel restriction, quick inoculation
Despite government efforts to inoculate as many people as possible in the shortest time, there have been criticisms for the delay in vaccine rollout, distribution, and coordination.
On Tuesday, Canadian parliamentarians were to participate in an emergency debate on the virus situation, which may see new restrictions officially imposed on local and foreign travel.
In the light of new cases, tensions rose between the federal government and the provinces, especially over the border controls for effective virus management.
Canada had approved several COVID-19 vaccines for use, but only a few, such as Moderna, have been reportedly readily available, resulting in a delay in the vaccination drive in some provinces.
Politicians, especially the opposition members, have criticized the government for not doing enough to control the virus, despite the growing number of cases and fatalities.
Ontario and Quebec want new measures to be implemented quickly, such as mandatory quarantine and testing upon arrival in Canada and flight bans.
@Kalkine Image 2020
PM says vaccine delivery on track
So far, around 1.15 per cent of Canada’s population has been inoculated, but the prime minister has exuded confidence the rollout and the distribution of vaccines are “very much on track”.
However, the European Union’s latest warnings on drug exports by EU firms raised concerns in Canada whether it will receive all the requested drugs needed as promised by the government.
The country has order bulk of the Covid vaccines from the European drugmakers and US-based Pfizer, which has production facilities in Europe.
But Pfizer’s supposed delay in deliveries due to the expansion of its facility in Belgium has prompted the EU to send out a warning on drug exports, fearing a local shortage.
Mr Trudeau, however, sought to dispel the concerns, saying his government would ensure the timely supply of vaccines that Canada had signed for. Meanwhile, in his conversation with Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel, the Canadian PM was assured that supplies would arrive as per schedule.
