As of this morning, there were 59,844 COVID-19 cases in Canada, with 3,766 deaths.

During her update in Ottawa, chief medical health officer Dr. Theresa Tam noted some provinces, including Saskatchewan and Manitoba are slowly reopening. She says places like Saskatchewan have seen the epidemic come under control and the time is right for cautious reopening.

Federal officials hope to ramp up testing for COVID-19.
Tam was asked if the number of daily tests done across Canada can be increased to some 60 thousand. She says they are investigating any other avenue for increasing lab testing. She says though, they aren’t looking for a magic number of tests. She says, you have to test the right people at the right place at the right time.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland is defending public health officers. Freeland was asked if she was concerned about the rhetoric coming from an opposition party, and their refusal to express confidence in the nation’s top doctors.

Freeland says, when it comes to public health officers across the country, Canada has been very well served. One Tory M.P had called for Tam to be fired over her advice to the government during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Prime Minister was asked about the reopening of the Cargill Meat Packing Plant in High River, Alberta; specifically,
what the federal government can do to inspect facilities like that to ensure safety for workers. Trudeau says its a provincial responsibility, but the federal government does have a role to play as well. One worker at the plant died and dozens of others were infected by the virus.

The Prime Minister says Canada is collaborating with other countries to work on ways to end the pandemic..He says Canada is providing $850 million to the effort.Trudeau took part in a video conference of leaders, undertaken by the European Union in co-operation with a number of G20 countries, seeking to raise funds for research and development related to COVID-19 testing, treatment, and prevention.
[cjgx may 4 2020]