On Wednesday, Ontario reported another 4,383 new COVID-19 cases, and Quebec reported a record 6,361. But many of those restrictions had fallen short of the threshold for employers or workers to qualify for Ottawa’s recently updated COVID-19 benefits programs. For those faced with a loss of income because of COVID-19 testing delays, Freeland pointed to two existing benefit programs: the Canada Recovery Caregiving benefit and Canada Recovery Sickness benefit, which had previously been extended into May 2022. Deputy chief public health officer Dr. Howard Njoo noted the science on Omicron itself remains a work in progress. Trudeau said he is being tested regularly and monitored for symptoms, but said he has not been formally advised to isolate.

Source: thestar December 22, 2021 23:53 UTC