All The Things: Economic aid, border closures, spikes and drops
Financial measures are being put in place in Canada and the U.S.
Today was Day One of “homeschooling.” Not much was learned, to be honest. We are trying to adjust to a new normal and it looks like things will be this way for a while, so I decided I was fine with easing in.
So the day involved a guitar lesson (over Skype) and some coding work (via Khan Academy), but also more YouTube than I would generally be fine with and an extended virtual Roblox playdate with my son’s friends. Tomorrow we will do a bit more, as much as we can. Be nice to yourselves right now.
Canada
Several significant announcements were made in Canada today.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that the Canada-U.S. border would be closed to non-essential travel, though essential goods and workers will still go between the two countries to keep trade moving. But many Canadians are still stranded abroad much further afield, as commercial flights are cancelled and countries are closing borders and airspaces.
At the same press conference, Trudeau announced $27 billion in aid and $55 billion in tax deferrals as part of the country’s economic response to COVID-19. Some details:
Canadians who don’t have access to regular EI benefits or paid sick leave will get up to $900 biweekly for up to 15 weeks.
An emergency support benefit is being created for people who are self-employed and part-time workers who don’t qualify for EI.
Small business owners will get a temporary wage subsidy equal to 10% of salary paid to employees for three months.
Individual tax returns do not have to be filed until June 1, and payments on money owing can be delayed to after August 31.
The Canada Child Benefit will be temporarily increased, as will HST/GST credits.
A six-month moratorium on student loan repayment will be in place.
Dedicated funding will go to homeless shelters and Indigenous communities.
The U.S.
There are now more than 8,500 cases of COVID-19 in the United States, where work is underway to avoid overwhelming the healthcare system if cases and hospitalizations spike. In the event that they can’t avoid that situation, hospitals are also having discussions about ventilator prioritization.
Meanwhile, Trump is trying to pretend he did not previously downplay the seriousness of COVID-19 or say things that were just flatly untrue.
A bill was signed into law in the U.S. that provides some relief via unemployment benefits, sick leave, and food and medical aid. The new law also ensures coronavirus testing will be free of charge. Another economic stabilization package that will send taxpayers direct payments and provide loans to businesses is also in the works.
The tech industry has several potential roles to play during this pandemic, for better and/or for worse. One of those may involve the location data on your smartphone, which the U.S. government would like to use to map the virus’ spread.
“Somebody would always joke and say, ‘What if we come back to a world where nothing is the same?’ Of course, it never happens. Except for this time. This time it did.”
Europe
In Italy, the number of one-day coronavirus deaths hit 500 on Wednesday — the largest single-day total for any country thus far. It’s probably reductive to attribute Italy’s heavy COVID-19 toll to any one or two factors. However, two of the country’s demographic realities — it has the world’s second-oldest population, and high interaction between older and younger people — may have played a role in the virus’ spread there.
As part of its measures to continue to treat the most serious cases, the country has called in the military to ramp up the production of ventilators.
Asia
Around the world, people are getting used to a new normal while China is slowly returning to its old one. Businesses are reopening and people are getting out and about, but masks are still commonly seen and social distancing is still a daily fact of life.
In neighbouring Hong Kong, the virus was largely contained but there are still worries about a second wave of infections from foreign travellers.
Southeast Asian countries are stepping up their measures to contain the spread of coronavirus as it makes its way around the world.
In Iran, 147 people died of coronavirus on Wednesday — the country’s largest single-day jump in deaths, and a spike that took the official toll over 1,000.
Low testing rates may be leaving COVID-19 undetected in India, the world’s second-most populous country. And in Pakistan, coronavirus cases are increasing; meanwhile, Sri Lanka has halted flights into the country and put a curfew in place in some areas.
Japan is continuing with its current plans for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, and IOC head Dick Pound says that is the right call. But criticism from leading athletes is increasing.
Other
Please know that I am not, in any way, attempting to become a coronavirus influencer ffs.
An ambitious international effort involving hundreds of scientists is focused on finding a treatment for coronavirus.
Herd immunity for COVID-19 will develop eventually, but relying on that right now is a recipe for disaster. And contrary to previous reports, new research from China suggests that coronavirus does make some children seriously ill though most still exhibit mild or moderate symptoms.
Is ibuprofen bad for you if you get coronavirus? Should you be stocking up on acetaminophen? Unfortunately, it’s not entirely clear.