In good news regarding Omicron, a new study has revealed that those who have been infected with COVID subvariant BA.1 are less likely to get infected with BA.2. subvariant. This is because BA.1 version of the Omicron coronavirus variant provides strong protection against the latter. The study also indicates that widely circulating BA.2 is unlikely to cause a major wave of infections in countries that have already witnessed an Omicron peak led by the previously identified subvariant.
The authors – Troels Lillebaek, a molecular epidemiologist at the State Serum Institute in Copenhagen, and his team looked into Denmark’s medical registries to find out whether re-infection by the BA.2 subvariant can create havoc.
Can Omicorn BA.2 cause severe reinfection?
They saw the BA.2 subvariant has been proliferating in Denmark since the start of this year, and currently comprises about 88% of all coronavirus cases. But the wave of BA.1 that preceded BA.2 is offering protection.
“There’s a build-up of immunity at the moment that is preventing a disaster,” Lillebaek said, as quoted by the scientific journal Nature.
“If BA.2 arrives in a community late, when the BA.1 Omicron wave is nearly over, immunity by Omicron infection and/or by boosting is likely to keep BA.2 from driving a second Omicron wave,” said Sarah Otto, an evolutionary biologist at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, and Lillebaek’s colleague to Nature.
In another piece of good news, the study also indicates that the vaccines provide some amount of protection against Omicron including BA.2.
The study, which was published on the preprint server medRxiv, but is yet to be peer-reviewed.
What who said on re-infection risks by Omicron BA.2?
Regarding the topic, World Health Organisation (WHO) officials said that there is no difference in the re-infection risks, when sub-lineage BA.1 and BA.2 are compared.
“If there was an increase, it would mean that re-infection is likely to occur and because we are not seeing that, its a good sign,” WHO’s Maria Van Kerkhove said.
Watch here:
Previously, WHO had mentioned that BA.2 subvariant is more transmissible than the previously identified variant, but the severity level of both the variant (among humans) is the same. However, though the variant is milder than Delta, Omicron is not mild, the UN health agency pointed out time and again.
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PARIS, Feb 11 (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron refused a Kremlin request that he take a Russian COVID-19 test when he arrived to see President Vladimir Putin this week, to prevent Russia getting hold of Macron’s DNA, two sources in Macron’s entourage told Reuters.
As a result, the visiting French head of state was kept at a distance from the Russian leader during lengthy talks on the Ukraine crisis in Moscow.
They were photographed at opposite ends of a table so long that it provoked satirical comment on social media and speculation, including by diplomats, that Putin might be using it to send a message.
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But two sources who have knowledge of the French president’s health protocol told Reuters Macron had been given a choice: either accept a PCR test done by the Russian authorities and be allowed to get close to Putin, or refuse and have to abide by more stringent social distancing.
“We knew very well that meant no handshake and that long table. But we could not accept that they get their hands on the president’s DNA,” one of the sources told Reuters, referring to security concerns if the French leader was tested by Russian doctors.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Macron had declined the test and said Russia had no problem with this, but it meant that a 6-metre (20 feet) distance from Putin was required in order to protect the Kremlin leader’s health.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Moscow, Russia February 7, 2022. Sputnik/Kremlin via REUTERS/File Photo
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“There is no politics in this, it does not interfere with negotiations in any way,” he said.
A second source in Macron’s entourage said he instead took a French PCR test before departure and an antigen test done by his own doctor once in Russia.
“The Russians told us Putin needed to be kept in a strict health bubble,” the second source said.
Macron’s office said the Russian health protocol “did not seem to us to be either acceptable or compatible with our diary constraints”, referring to the length of time that would have been required to wait for the results.
When asked specifically about DNA theft, Macron’s office said: “The president has doctors who define with him the rules that are acceptable or not in terms of his own health protocol.”
On Thursday, three days after Macron and Putin had their socially-distanced meeting, the Russian leader received Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The two men shook hands, and sat close to each other, divided only by a small coffee table.
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Additional reporting by Dmitry Antonov; Editing by Catherine Evans
Premier Jason Kenney has provided a timeline for when Albertans will learn whether more public health measures used to address the spread of COVID-19 will be lifted early next month.
“On Saturday, Feb. 26, the government will announce a final decision about proceeding to Phase 2 of our plan to lift almost all restrictions on March 1,” Kenney tweeted Monday evening, saying it will be a “prudent decision based on the latest data.”
The premier wrote there is “encouraging data” showing a “steep drop” in the Omicron variant wave of the pandemic.
Read more:
8 more deaths in Alberta linked to COVID-19; Hinshaw reminds people health rules still in effect
“Pressure on our hospitals is declining,” he wrote, continuing the province’s messaging of “learning to live with COVID-19.”
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Monday was the Family Day statutory holiday in Alberta, and no COVID-19 data from the weekend was made available to the public.
On Saturday, February 26 the government will announce a final decision about proceeding to Phase Two of our plan to lift almost all restrictions on March 1.
We will make a prudent decision based on the latest data.
Alberta Health data released on Friday showed 1,494 people with COVID-19 were in Alberta hospitals, down from 1,605 a week before. But hospitalizations involving patients with COVID-19 have not been below the same level since Jan. 24 and haven’t been below 1,000 since Jan. 15.
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The rate of new hospitalizations appears to have reached its peak in all Alberta Health Services zones, according to the province’s COVID-19 statistics portal.
On Feb. 15, 121 COVID-19 patients were in ICUs and 83 non-COVID patients were in ICUs. That sum translated to 118 per cent of baseline ICU capacity in the province.
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Because of the amount of time it takes COVID-19 to progress into severe disease, hospitalizations and ICU admissions have been a lagging indicator of the amount of virus in the community.
Read more:
Cochrane RCMP search for suspect who allegedly punched restaurant employee in face over mask dispute
PCR testing has been restricted through much of the last two months, and Alberta’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw previously said the number of new and active cases being reported do not reflect the true amount of people sick with COVID-19. She said case numbers could be 10 times what is reported.
That has left wastewater testing for SARS-CoV-2 particles as a key method for surveilling COVID-19 in Alberta.
The past few weeks have seen a downward trend, according to wastewater surveillance.
COVID-19: Alberta’s top doctor says province is in transition
COVID-19: Alberta’s top doctor says province is in transition
But data from the University of Calgary’s Centre for Health Informatics appears to show the communities of Taber, Drumheller and Canmore having upward swings for a week or longer.
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And wastewater numbers in Calgary have been creeping up in the last week after a month-long drop.
If approved, Step 2 of the province’s plan to lift public health measures would see any remaining school-related measures lifted, venue capacity limits ended, limits on social gatherings removed, the provincial mask mandate scrapped and the mandatory work-from-home order rescinded.
According to a government news release issued on Feb. 8, Step 3 would remove COVID-specific measures in continuing care and see isolation for positive cases become a recommendation rather than a requirement. That step would be taken “based on hospitalization rates continuing to trend downwards.”
READ MORE: Alberta finance minister to wear repeat budget day shoes
The Alberta legislature reconvenes Tuesday with a speech from the throne. Finance Minister Travis Toews will table the provincial budget on Thursday.
The Pacific Highway border crossing in Surrey, B.C., is now open after being closed for most of Saturday, amid the latest convoy protest opposing COVID-19 measures.
Demonstrators met at locations in Vancouver and Chilliwack Saturday morning, then convoyed on Highway 1 with a destination of Highway 15 and 8th Avenue, the key entry point to the truck crossing.
RCMP say as of 8 pm Saturday evening, the vast majority of protesters have left, except for a small group at the intersection of 176th and 8th avenue.
“It’s been a very busy day for our teams on the ground, and those supporting operations from behind the scenes,” says Sgt Elenore Sturko.
“Our work here is not done though, and the public can expect a continued police presence in the days and nights ahead.”
At one point, demonstrators became aggressive with media on site, including Global BC, with police stepping in to ensure reporters could safely access their vehicles.
Mounties later said they had launched an investigation into “a group of aggressive protesters who surrounded members of the media.”
“These kinds of acts of aggression and intimidation towards media, or any member of the public, are simply unacceptable,” Sturko said.
“While it is not always safe for our officers to take immediate enforcement action at the time of the alleged offences based on the size of the crowd of protesters, these incidents will be fully investigated and could lead to subsequent arrests or charges.”
⚠️WARNING: Profane language.
My camera operator and I get swarmed by protesters and followed — after an interview with police media relations.
12 protesters arrested at B.C. border trucker protest as police move in
Meanwhile, a heated situation shaped up in East Vancouver, where shouting and, at points, shoving, broke out as convoy supporters and counter-protesters faced off at Hastings and Renfrew Streets.
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As it happened: Police remove 46 vehicles from Ottawa’s convoy blockade
Bearing signs with messages such as “get out of town,” and “go home,” convoy opponents told Global News they had turned out to tell the protesters they weren’t welcome in the city.
Vancouver police attended the scene, and told Global News officers cleared the intersection and that the vehicle protest left the city.
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No one was arrested, police said.
12 people arrested as police clear protest blockades at Pacific Highway border crossing
12 people arrested as police clear protest blockades at Pacific Highway border crossing
Belleville is closed at Douglas and Menzies due to #yyjtraffic as we continue to respond to ongoing protest activity. Please avoid the area as traffic is disrupted. #yyj
In Victoria, police said Belleville Street was closed at Douglas Street, as the city also played host to the latest in a string of COVID measure protests.
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Saturday was the second time anti-vaccine mandate protesters have targeted the Pacific Highway crossing.
A similar convoy descended on Highway 15 last week, shutting the border crossing for several days before police arrested a dozen people.
The convoy protesters maintain they are taking the streets for freedom, and have compared vaccine mandates and other COVID-19 measures to tyranny and communism.
Saturday’s protests come as police in Ottawa continue to clear an entrenched demonstration that law enforcement and municipal, provincial and federal officials have all dubbed “unlawful.” More than 100 people have been arrested so far.
Read more:
Ottawa police use anti-riot weapons on convoy protesters, arrest 170
Earlier this week Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took the extraordinary step of invoking the never-before-used Emergencies Act, giving police and financial regulators exceptional powers to deal with the protest and blockades that have stretched across the country for weeks.
If MPs do not vote to approve the act on Monday, the emergency powers will expire.
Dozens arrested as police clearing the streets of Ottawa
Dozens arrested as police clearing the streets of Ottawa
OTTAWA, Feb 19 (Reuters) – Canadian police on Saturday used pepper spray and stun grenades, and made dozens of arrests as they cleared demonstrators from the street in front of parliament, where they have been camping for more than three weeks to protest against pandemic restrictions.
There have been a total of 170 arrests in two days, Ottawa’s interim police chief, Steve Bell, told reporters. Police by afternoon had dispersed the main portion of the blockade in front of parliament, the prime minister’s office, and the Bank of Canada.
City crews were now engaged in cleaning up and towing away remaining vehicles, Bell told a news conference. But other pockets around the city had yet to be cleared, and there was a risk that demonstrators might change location, he said.
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“We are aware of protesters leaving the parliamentary precinct moving to surrounding neighborhoods. We are not going anywhere until you have your streets back,” Bell said, addressing Ottawa citizens.
Using bullhorns, police warned the crowd to disperse or face arrest. For a second day, police also urged protesters to remove young children from the area.
“This is dangerous and is putting young children at risk,” Bell said.
Protest organizers for the so-called Freedom Convoy said they had asked trucks to withdraw because of what they called heavy-handed police tactics, and many trucks did exit the downtown core on Saturday. Thirty-eight vehicles have been towed, police said.
Officers smashed vehicle windows to arrest people locked inside. Some of those arrested on Saturday wore body armor and had smoke grenades and other fireworks in their bags and vehicles, police said. read more
Police confirmed the use of stun grenades and pepper spray. Protesters threw smoke canisters, but no tear gas has been used, police said.
Separately, as part of the ongoing protests, several border blockades had been put in place in recent weeks, but all had reopened until Saturday, when demonstrators again closed the Pacific Coast Highway border crossing south of Vancouver.
Many of the main organizers in Ottawa have been taken into custody, and some have reportedly left. On Saturday, organizers said on Twitter they were “shocked at the abuses of power by the law enforcement in Ottawa” and so had “asked our truckers to move from Parliament Hill to avoid further brutality.”
The protest organizers said protesters had been “horse-trampled” on Friday, which police deny.
Canadian Police officers move protestors towards parliament hill, as they work to restore normality to the capital while trucks and demonstrators continue to occupy the downtown core for more than three weeks to protest coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, February 19, 2022. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
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“We hear your concern for people on the ground after the horses dispersed a crowd. Anyone who fell got up and walked away. We’re unaware of any injuries,” police said on Twitter.
The protesters initially wanted an end to cross-border COVID-19 vaccine mandates for truck drivers, but the blockade has gradually turned into a demonstration against the government and against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“This is our final stand … When it ends, it ends and it’s in God’s hands,” said Jeremy Glass, a protester from Shelburne, Ontario.
Trudeau on Monday invoked emergency powers to give his government wider authority to stop the protests. He authorized banks and financial institutions to temporarily freeze the accounts of those suspected of supporting the blockades, without obtaining a court order. read more
Financial services providers have used the emergency powers to freeze at least 76 accounts with a total of C$3.2 million ($2.5 million), Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said on Saturday.
The federal government said on Saturday it would provide up to C$20 million to Ottawa businesses that have suffered losses due to the blockades.
Debate in parliament over the emergency powers resumed on Saturday, and a final vote is scheduled for Monday. Trudeau’s Liberals and opposition New Democrats have indicated their support, which should ensure its passage.
American politicians, including former President Donald Trump, have expressed support for the protesters, as has Tesla Inc’s (TSLA.O) chief executive, Elon Musk, who on Saturday replied on Twitter to a woman asking him to help the protesters.
“I wish I could help. At this point, it seems that voting at the next election is the remedy,” Musk replied.
Protesters, who have been filmed by police, will be held accountable, Bell said.
“If you are involved in this protest, we will actively look to identify you and follow up with financial sanctions and criminal charges … This investigation will go on for months to come.”
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Reporting by Steve Scherer and Carlos Osorio in Ottawa, Additional reporting by Kyaw Soe Oo, Blair Gable and Shannon Stapleton in Ottawa, and Jennifer Gauthier in Surrey, B.C.
Editing by Sandra Maler and Matthew Lewis
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A United States-bound passenger walks in Toronto Pearson Airport’s Terminal 3, days before new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) testing protocols to enter the U.S. come into effect, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada December 3, 2021. REUTERS/Chris Helgren
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OTTAWA, Feb 15 (Reuters) – Canada will ease entry for fully vaccinated international travelers starting on Feb. 28 as COVID-19 cases decline, allowing a rapid antigen test for travelers instead of a molecular one, officials said on Tuesday.
The new measures, which include dropping compulsory testing on entry, were announced by federal government ministers at a briefing. Canada will also drop coronavirus testing requirements for fully vaccinated Canadians who make short trips – less than 72 hours – abroad, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said.
“These changes are possible not only because we have passed the peak of Omicron, but because Canadians across the country have listened to the science and to experts,” Duclos told reporters.
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About 80% of Canadians are fully vaccinated and over 40% have also taken a booster dose, according to the health ministry.
The global travel advisory for Canadians is also being changed. Previously the government recommended against all non-essential travel, and now it is only urging citizens to take precautions.
“Though today’s announcement brings us one step closer to where our industry needs to be, in requiring pre-departure rapid antigen tests, the government missed an opportunity to align with other international jurisdictions that removed pre-departure test requirements for fully vaccinated travellers,” the Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable industry group said in a statement.
Suzanne Acton-Gervais, interim president of the National Airlines Council of Canada, said: “Today’s announcement by the federal government is a step forward both for travellers, our industry, and for the Canadian economy, which relies on trade and tourism.”
Several provinces, including Alberta, Saskatchewan, Quebec and on Monday Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, have announced a relaxation of restrictions imposed during the pandemic as coronavirus infection rates fall.
Ontario said it will speed up its plan to remove proof-of-vaccination requirements and lift pandemic-related capacity limits for many businesses, while the western province of Alberta ended its mask requirements for school children on Monday. read more
Protesters have blocked border crossings and paralyzed the center of Ottawa for weeks asking for governments to roll back pandemic restrictions. read more Provincial premiers have denied loosening restrictions to appease them, saying instead that the limits are no longer needed to contain COVID-19.
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Reporting by Steve Scherer in Ottawa, Ismail Shakil in Bengaluru and Allison Lampert in Montreal; editing by Grant McCool and Jane Merriman
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
OTTAWA, Feb 14 (Reuters) – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday activated rarely used emergency powers in an effort to end protests that have shut some U.S. border crossings and paralyzed parts of the capital.
Under the Emergencies Act, the government introduced measures intended to cut off protesters’ funding and took steps to reinforce provincial and local law enforcement with federal police.
“The blockades are harming our economy and endangering public safety,” Trudeau told a news conference. “We cannot and will not allow illegal and dangerous activities to continue.”
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But the Canadian Civil Liberties Association said the government had not met the standard for invoking the Emergencies Act, which is intended to deal with threats to “sovereignty, security and territorial integrity,” the group said.
The “Freedom Convoy” protests, started by Canadian truckers opposing a COVID-19 vaccinate-or-quarantine mandate for cross-border drivers, have drawn people opposed to Trudeau’s policies on everything from pandemic restrictions to a carbon tax. Copycat trucker protests have also sprung up in Israel, France, Australia and New Zealand.
Protesters blockaded the Ambassador Bridge, a vital trade route between Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit, for six days before police cleared the protest on Sunday while others have shut down smaller border crossings in Alberta, Manitoba and British Columbia. Protests in Ottawa, the nation’s capital, entered a third week.
Protesters camped in front of the Canadian Parliament, some of whom want the prime minister to meet with them, said the latest steps were excessive. “It’s an extreme measure that isn’t necessary,” said protester Candice Chapel.
CUTTING OFF FUNDS
The financial measures bring crowdfunding platforms under terror-finance oversight, authorize Canadian banks to freeze accounts suspected of funding the blockades and suspend insurance on vehicles in the protests, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said.
A person waves a Canadian flag in front of banners in support of truckers, as truckers and supporters continue to protest the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine mandates, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, February 14, 2022. REUTERS/Lars Hagberg
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“We are making these changes because we know that these (crowdfunding) platforms are being used to support illegal blockades and illegal activity which is damaging the Canadian economy,” Freeland said.
Canadian authorities have said about half of the funding for the protests has come from U.S. supporters. Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD.TO) last week froze two personal bank accounts that received C$1.4 million ($1.1 million) for the protests. read more
A U.S.-based website, GiveSendGo, became a prime conduit for money to the protesters after mainstream crowdfunding platform GoFundMe blocked donations to the group. An Ontario court last week ordered GiveSendGo to freeze all funds supporting the blockade, but it said it would not comply.
Amid criticism that the police approach to demonstrations has been too permissive, Trudeau will use federal officers to back up provincial and local forces. “Despite their best efforts, it is now clear that there are serious challenges to law enforcement’s ability to effectively enforce the law,” he said.
In the western Canadian province of Alberta, police said they broke up a group that was armed and prepared to use violence to back a blockade at a border crossing with the United States. read more
The Canadian Parliament must approve the use of the emergency measures within seven days, and the left-leaning New Democrat party said it would support Trudeau’s Liberal minority government to pass the measures.
Ontario, which declared a state of emergency on Friday, backed the move. But premiers in Alberta, Quebec, Manitoba and Saskatchewan opposed the plan. Quebec’s Premier Francois Legault said using emergency powers risked putting “oil on the fire.” read more
Trudeau said the measures would be geographically targeted and time limited.
Ontario said it will speed up its plan to remove proof-of-vaccination requirements and lift pandemic-related capacity limits for many businesses while Alberta ended its mask requirements for school children on Monday. read more
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Additional reporting by Ismail Shakil in Bengaluru, Rod Nickel in Winnipeg, Nia Williams in Calgary and Lars Hagberg in Ottawa; Writing by Amran Abocar; Editing by Lisa Shumaker, Paul Simao and Cynthia Osterman
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Protesters interact with police officers, who stand guard on a street after Windsor Police said that they are starting to enforce a court order to clear truckers and supporters who have been protesting against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine mandates by blocking access to the Ambassador Bridge, which connects Detroit and Windsor, in Windsor, Ontario, Canada February 12, 2022. REUTERS/Carlos Osorio
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WINDSOR, Ontario, Feb 13 (Reuters) – Canadian police said on Sunday they have arrested more protesters opposing COVID-19 restrictions and blocking a key trade route along the border with the United States, more than 24 hours after authorities moved in to impose a court order.
This comes after a tense standoff between Canadian police and demonstrators on Saturday, as the court order and threats of arrest have failed to end the blockade of the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Ontario, which entered its sixth day on Sunday.
“Enforcement actions continue at the demonstration area with arrests being made. Vehicles being towed. Please continue avoiding the area,” the Windsor Police said in a tweet on Sunday morning, without giving more details of how many had been arrested.
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Late on Saturday, Windsor Police arrested a 27-year old man for a criminal offence in relation to the demonstration, making their first detention since the bridge siege started on Monday.
U.S. President Joe Biden has asked Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to use federal powers to end the blockade of the Ambassador Bridge, North America’s busiest land border crossing. Since Monday, protesters in trucks, cars and vans have blocked traffic in both directions, choking the supply chain for Detroit’s carmakers.
Despite a court order to end the occupation and a state of emergency imposed by the province of Ontario, police have failed to disperse the crowd and resume cross-border traffic.
Police moved in early on Saturday, pushing protesters back from the foot of the bridge, but more people streamed into the area in the afternoon and the operation appeared to have stalled. “I am very hopeful still that police can … try and get to these folks in a reasonable way and have them understand that it’s time to move on,” Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens told CBC News. “We can no longer afford as a country to keep it closed.”
The bridge carries about $360 million a day in two-way cargoes – 25% of the value of all U.S.-Canada goods trade.
Concrete barricades have been set up in front of the police near the bridge to keep protesters from reclaiming any ground.
The “Freedom Convoy” protests, started in the national capital Ottawa by Canadian truckers opposing a vaccinate-or-quarantine mandate for cross-border drivers, entered its 17th day on Sunday. But it has now morphed into a rallying point against broader COVID-19 curbs, carbon tax and other issues, with people joining in cars, pick-up trucks and farm vehicles.
Protests erupted across several cities in Canada on Saturday, with some 4,000 people in downtown Ottawa. Financial capital Toronto had some 1,000 demonstrators, though the police had shut key access roads to the central business district.
In the west, hundreds of protesters choked intersections along the Pacific Highway with vehicles leading to the Canada-U.S. border crossing in South Surrey, British Columbia. Several, camped out near the border crossing, vowed to stay “as long as is needed” until all COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.
Strangling bilateral trade, protests have spread to three border points, including in Alberta and Manitoba.
Canadian police have said the protests have been partly funded by U.S. supporters, and Ontario froze funds donated via one U.S. platform GiveSendGo on Thursday.
Ford Motor Co (F.N), the second-largest U.S. automaker, General Motors Co (GM.N) and Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) all have announced production cuts. Companies have diverted cargo to stem losses during the cuts.
The estimated loss so far from the blockades to the auto industry alone could be as high as $850 million, based on IHS Markit’s data, which puts the 2021 daily flow in vehicles and parts at $141.1 million a day.
“This is the busiest border crossing, so it’s not just automotive,” Mayor Dilkens said. “We are talking about things that impact the entire nation here. That’s why finding a resolution is so important.”
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Reporting by Kayla Tarnowski and Carlos Osorio in Windsor
Writing by Denny Thomas
Editing by William Mallard, Frances Kerry and Susan Fenton
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
WINDSOR, Ontario/WASHINGTON, Feb 11 (Reuters) – Protesters opposing pandemic restrictions were still occupying a vital Canada-U.S. trade corridor on Friday, hours after an injunction order to end the blockade that has disrupted North America’s auto industry took effect.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promised President Joe Biden quick action to end the crisis and earlier on Friday a Canadian judge ordered an end to the four-day-long blockade of the Ambassador Bridge, North America’s busiest land border crossing.
That order came into effect at 7 p.m. Eastern Time (0000 GMT) but more two than hours after the deadline, about 200 protesters, including children, milled around the entrance to the bridge, waving Canadian flags, while others set off fireworks.
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Police, who started to gather in a parking lot a few blocks away from the protesters, began handing out pamphlets that outlined penalties under Ontario’s emergency order, which takes effect at midnight.
Trudeau earlier told reporters that no action was off the table.
Companies have diverted cargo to stem losses amid production cuts by companies including Ford (F.N).
Superior Court Justice Geoffrey Morawetz on Friday approved the request by auto industry associations and Windsor city authorities hoping to end the protests.
Occupying access roads leading to the bridge on Friday, protesters voiced defiance and there was little sign of them backing down.
“Canada is supposed to be a free country,” said Liz Vallee, a protester from Chatham, Ontario. “When that freedom is threatened, we must stand up.”
Vallee said she and others would stay until all pandemic mandates are lifted.
The “Freedom Convoy” protests, started by Canadian truckers opposing a vaccinate-or-quarantine mandate for cross-border drivers, are also occupying areas outside government buildings in the capital city of Ottawa and have blocked two smaller U.S. crossings.
The protests have inspired similar convoys and plans in France, New Zealand, Australia and the United States, whose Department of Homeland Security is working to ensure that a “Freedom Convoy” event due in early March in Washington, D.C., “does not disrupt lawful trade.” read more
U.S. PRESSURE
Adding to earlier calls for action by U.S. officials and business leaders, Biden expressed concerns over auto plant closures and production slowdowns during a phone call with Trudeau, the White House said in a statement.
People erect a tent as truck drivers and supporters continue to block access to the Ambassador Bridge, which links Detroit and Windsor, in protest against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine mandates, in Windsor, Ontario, Canada February 10, 2022. REUTERS/ Carlos Osorio
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“The two leaders agreed that the actions of the individuals who are obstructing travel and commerce between our two countries are having significant direct impacts on citizens’ lives and livelihoods,” the statement said.
“The Prime Minister promised quick action in enforcing the law, and the President thanked him for the steps he and other Canadian authorities are taking to restore the open passage of bridges to the United States,” it added.
Trudeau told reporters that he agreed with Biden that the blockades cannot continue. “Everything is on the table because this unlawful activity has to end and it will end,” Trudeau said.
U.S.-Canada cross-border trade in vehicles and core parts totaled $51.5 billion in 2021, IHS Markit estimates.
Biden’s administration had urged Canada to use federal powers to ease the Ambassador Bridge blockade, a step Trudeau’s government has not taken. Trudeau said on Friday his government was not seriously contemplating calling in the military over the protests. read more
The leader of Ontario, where police have avoided using force to disperse protesters, sought to build pressure on Friday by threatening C$100,000 fines and up to a year in prison for non-compliance.
Announcing the penalties as part of emergency measures, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said they were needed to “make crystal clear it is illegal and punishable to block and impede the movement of goods, people and services along critical infrastructure.”
Windsor police issued a statement warning of arrests, but it was not clear if or when authorities would begin issuing fines or seeking jail sentences.
ECONOMIC LOSSES
With car production cuts mounting, Ford, the second-largest U.S. automaker, said on Friday it had temporarily halted work at its assembly plant in Ohio. General Motors and Toyota also announced new production cuts.
The stock of Canadian autoparts maker Magna International (MG.TO) fell 6.4% on Friday after it said it had seen an initial hit from the bridge’s closure. read more
Beyond auto sector losses, the three U.S.-Canada crossings obstructed account for 33% of Canada’s trade with the United States, valued at $616 million per day, Export Development Canada said.
The bridge’s shutdown could worsen the tight supply of new vehicles in the United States and contribute to the already fast-rising price of new vehicles, IHS Markit said in a Friday report. Even if the blockade ends, a return to normal will take several weeks as shortages cascade through the supply chain, IHS Markit said.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, home to nearly a fifth of U.S. car production, told CNN: “The Canadian government has to do whatever it takes to safely and swiftly resolve this.”
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Reporting by Kayla Tarnowski and Trevor Hunnicutt; Additional reporting by Steven Scherer and Julie Gordon in Ottawa, Anna Mehler-Paperny in Toronto, Doina Chiacu and David Shepardson in Washington and Ismail Shakil, Kanishka Singh, and Shivansh Tiwary in Bengaluru; Writing by Rami Ayyub; Editing by Grant McCool, William Mallard and Edwina Gibbs
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Faculty members from the University of Alberta School of Public Health, saying it could prolong the pandemic, are voicing strong opposition to what they call the rapid relaxation of COVID-19 health measures in the province.
In an open letter sent to Premier Jason Kenney and top-ranking United Conservative officials, about 25 experts with varied experience in public health, infectious diseases and social epidemiology say the government is using selective data to support its policies.
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“We know and agree that restrictions have had deleterious effects on our society. However, this extreme back and forth of on-again, off-again restrictions only serves to prolong the course of this pandemic,” the letter reads.
“We cannot tell what the future will hold, but the history of other pandemics, our immediate experience with Omicron and the fourth wave, and the wealth of evidence should teach us that a cautious, slow easing of restrictions would be the prudent way to proceed.”
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Premier Jason Kenney announced earlier this week a phased, but speedy approach to dropping all pandemic health measures. Kenney said the threat of COVID-19 to public health no longer outweighs the damaging impact of restrictions.
Alberta’s vaccine passport is already a thing of the past and masking requirements for children 12 and under, as well as for all students, are to end Monday. Most remaining measures are to be lifted in March should pressure on hospitals continue to ease.
Steve Buick, press secretary to Health Minister Jason Copping, said the letter released Friday gives a “distorted view” by ignoring that other jurisdictions in Canada are taking similar approaches.
“Restrictions take a heavy toll on society, from workers earning modest wages in service businesses to students who have seen their education compromised by the change to online classes. The letter takes an unbalanced view, with almost no acknowledgment of that impact,” said Buick in a statement.
“The letter calls for restrictions to continue but distorts the basis for them. The justification for restrictions is to prevent the health system from being overwhelmed. That has not happened.”
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COVID-19 hospitalizations decreased by 20 to 1,566 Thursday with no significant changes to intensive care admissions. The seven-day average positivity rate was about 32 per cent.
The letter says the province’s plan is reckless when waning immunity after two vaccine doses, slow uptake for booster shots and lagging vaccination of children are considered.
It says it’s time to expand vaccine mandates to include third doses, rather than ditch them altogether. The group also expresses concerns that the government is removing the freedom of municipalities, post-secondary institutions and school boards to make their own decisions.
Education Minister Adriana LaGrange told school boards Tuesday that they will not be able to bring in their own mask mandates. Advanced Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides similarly informed post-secondary schools that he expects them to return to pre-pandemic rules when more measures are expected to be lifted March 1.
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That phase would see an end to keeping students in cohorts at schools, capacity limits and the indoor mask mandate.
Letter co-author Dr. Simon Otto, who specializes in epidemiology and infectious diseases, said in an interview that he is concerned government decisions are being driven by politics rather than all available evidence-based data.
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“We speak from a position of expertise,” he said. “We’re training the next generation of public health professionals and we train them to think in this way, so we really feel it’s important for the government to hear from us.”
Otto said the government should release the data it is using to guide its decision-making and be more transparent with the public about crafting COVID-19 policies.
“Ignoring the evidence and dismissing the concerns and fears of parents, students and educators is a dangerous and irresponsible overstep by the government,” the letter says.
“Now is absolutely not the time to make these drastic changes.”
Alberta parents, school officials react to COVID-19 masking changes
Alberta parents, school officials react to COVID-19 masking changes
COVID, COVID surge, Omicron, Omicron BA.2, omicron news, Omicron surrge
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