The latest news on COVID-19 in Canada

The latest COVID-19 developments in Canada (all times Eastern):

7 p.m.

Alberta is announcing another record-breaking day of new COVID-19 cases.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw, the province’s chief medical health officer, says there are about 800 new infections.

However, because of technical problems, she doesn’t have an exact number.

The previous one-day record of 622 cases was reported last Friday.

Hinshaw says she will be able to provide detailed figures tomorrow, and the rise in cases is “extremely concerning.”

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6:15 p.m.

British Columbia has reached another daily COVID-19 high at 425 new cases.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says there are now 30 outbreaks in health centres that include long-term care and assisted-living facilities.

Henry says an increase in cases was anticipated as the weather cooled and people moved indoors, and that means people must be even more vigilant.

There have been no new deaths, 16,560 people have tested positive since the pandemic started, while 12,806 of those are considered recovered.

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4:20 p.m.

The federal government says authorities have seized 380 shipments of counterfeit or unauthorized COVID-19-related goods along the British Columbia border with the U.S.

Officials say the seizures by the Canada Border Services Agency, Health Canada and the RCMP happened between March 20 and June 30.

The seized goods include 4.5 million units of personal protective equipment, 48,000 COVID-19 test kits and 33,000 prescription pills and tablets.

Border officials seized the mislabelled or improperly declared goods, referring others to Health Canada.

The unauthorized or counterfeit goods were referred to the RCMP.

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3:45 p.m.

Saskatchewan is reporting 129 new cases of COVID-19.

It’s the highest single-day total for new infections in the province.

The Ministry of Health says many of the new cases are in Saskatoon and the region around Prince Albert.

The two cities, along with Regina, will be subject to a mandatory mask order for indoor public places starting Friday.

The province says there are 877 active cases of COVID-19 and 32 people in hospital.

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3 p.m.

A British Columbia man has been charged with three counts of violating the Quarantine Act.

Police in New Westminster say the man repeatedly left his home after returning from a trip to the United States late last month.

Police say the man had been advised of the mandatory requirement to isolate for 14 days and was issued a ticket for defying the provision, but was arrested Monday for continued violations of the act.

Makhan Singh Parhar, 47, is being held in custody and is scheduled to return to court on Nov. 16.

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1:50 p.m.

Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister is dropping the idea of a curfew to limit late-night socializing and reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Instead, the provincial government is adding enforcement officers to enforce public health orders, running new advertisements and urging people to call a government tip line to report violators.

The province is reporting 426 new cases and four additional deaths.

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1:30 p.m.

The Manitoba government is adding to its list of people who are enforcing public health orders during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Premier Brian Pallister says fire safety inspectors, motor carrier enforcement officers and municipal bylaw officers will help apply the rules.

He says that will raise the total number of enforcers to more than 3,200.

The province has cracked down following a spike in COVID-19 cases with rules that include a limit of five people for public gatherings.

Winnipeg police said this week they are prepared to start going to people’s homes to enforce that measure if they receive a complaint.

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1:05 p.m.

New Brunswick is easing restrictions in the Campbellton region due to what public health officials describe as a downward trend in the number of cases.

The region in the north of the province will be downgraded from orange to yellow level at midnight tonight.

The measure allows residents to meet in person with close friends and extended family, eases visitor restrictions for vulnerable settings and raises gathering limits, as long as distancing is maintained and masks are worn in indoor public places.

The New Brunswick government is reporting two new cases today in the Fredericton region, both among people aged 30 to 39 who are self-isolating.

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12:40 p.m.

Newfoundland and Labrador is reporting two new cases of COVID-19.

Health officials say both are travel-related, and both are residents of the province who returned home from work in Alberta, though the cases are unrelated.

One case is a man between 20 and 39 years old, and the other is a man in his 50s.

The province has had 294 confirmed cases since the onset of the pandemic, with five cases active today.

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12:05 p.m.

Nova Scotia is reporting one new case of COVID-19, bringing the province’s total number of active cases to 18.
Health officials say the new case was recorded in the province’s central zone and is under investigation.
As of today, Nova Scotia has recorded 1,119 positive cases, 65 deaths and 1,036 cases that are considered recovered.

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11:20 a.m.

Ontario is reporting 998 new cases of COVID-19 today and 13 more deaths related to the virus.
The province says it completed nearly 35,800 tests since the last daily update, an increase of 7,200 from the previous report.
Health Minister Christine Elliott says there are 350 new cases in Toronto, 269 in Peel Region and 71 in York Region.
She adds that 948 cases were reported as resolved since the last daily report.

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11:15 a.m.

Quebec is reporting 1,138 new cases of COVID-19 and 28 more deaths attributed to the novel coronavirus, 10 of which occurred in the past 24 hours.
Health authorities say hospitalizations decreased by one compared with the prior day, to 538, and 82 people were in intensive care, a rise of one.
The province conducted 27,326 COVID-19 tests Nov. 3, the last day for which testing data is available.
Quebec has reported a total of 111,056 COVID-19 infections and 6,378 deaths linked to the virus.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2020.

The Canadian Press