Sideline video: China's successful experience in containing COVID-19 may help the Canadian government beat the coronavirus in its country, said Al Richmond, chair of Cariboo Regional District in British Columbia province. (Xinhua/Li Baodong, Wei Ying)
"With cases rapidly increasing in Canada, particularly in British Columbia, Ontario and Alberta, our window to flatten the curve of the epidemic is narrow. We all need to act now. COVID-19 is a serious public health threat."
OTTAWA, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Canada has diagnosed 313 COVID-19 cases and Canadians need to take strong action to prevent the further spread of COVID-19, Canada's Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam said Sunday afternoon.
Tam told a news conference that the country's all 10 provinces have confirmed or presumed COVID-19 cases.
A medical worker wearing protective gear walks past a direction sign of a COVID-19 assessment center at Peel Memorial Center for Integrated Health and Wellness in Brampton, Ontario, Canada, on March 15, 2020. (Photo by Zou Zheng/Xinhua)
"With cases rapidly increasing in Canada, particularly in British Columbia, Ontario and Alberta, our window to flatten the curve of the epidemic is narrow," Tam said. "We all need to act now. COVID-19 is a serious public health threat."
To date, nearly 25,000 people have been tested in Canada for COVID-19, she said.
The Royal Ontario Museum is closed in Toronto, Canada, March 14, 2020. (Photo by Zou Zheng/Xinhua)
"I am also asking that you avoid large public gatherings and increase your personal physical space from others. Talk to your employer about contingencies or working from home if this becomes necessary," she added.
The Canadian government has urged Canadians to refrain from non-essential international travel until further notice. Tam said all international travelers arriving in Canada should self-isolate for 14 days.
A shopper pushes a cart loaded with goods outside a Costco warehouse in Vancouver, Canada, on March 14, 2020. (Photo by Liang Sen/Xinhua)
In an interview with CTV Sunday morning, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said a mandatory enforcement of 14-day isolation could be coming.
Trudeau and the Retail Council of Canada said supplies of groceries and other basics would continue to flow even if the outbreak of the coronavirus triggered widespread store or border closures. ■
