Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asked his compatriots this Friday to avoid non-essential travel abroad by presenting several measures to limit the spread of the new coronavirus.
Ottawa also made 10 billion Canadian dollars (about 7.2 billion US dollars) in credit available to businesses to help them overcome the current situation and also announced a 0.5 point reduction in the bank's rate central, at 0.75%.
Next week, he will announce new “fiscal stimulus measures” for businesses to “protect Canadians in these difficult times,” according to Finance Minister Bill Morneau.
The government “recommends that Canadians avoid non-essential travel abroad,” declared the head of government, in isolation since Thursday after his wife, Sophie Grégoire, tested positive for the coronavirus.
Trudeau, who held a press conference in front of his official residence in Ottawa, also announced the suspension of the arrival of foreign cruise ships in Canada until July.
“We will study how to better control international passengers arriving in Canada,” added the Prime Minister.
The number of airports that receive international flights from “overseas” will be reduced, he said, a phrase that appears to exempt flights from the United States from the measure.
The president also announced that the government would announce a “significant fiscal stimulus” in the coming days to help the Canadian economy resist the stagnation caused by the spread of the pandemic.
Canada has recorded more than 150 cases of coronavirus, including one death, since the outbreak began in China in December.
“Amateur bacon nerd. Music practitioner. Introvert. Total beer junkie. Pop culture fanatic. Avid internet guru.”
