Canada and the United States have agreed to extend border restrictions for another 30 days, Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau said.
Washington and Ottawa agreed last month to clamp down on nonessential travel while allowing trade to continue across their long shared frontier during the coronavirus outbreak. The restrictions were due to expire next week.
Trudeau said Canada would support aboriginal businesses with C$306 million in interest-free loans and non-repayable contributions. In total, Ottawa has unveiled C$115 billion ($82.15 billion) in direct spending to help companies and individuals deal with shutdowns.
Canada’s death toll from COVID-19, the respiratory disease associated with the new coronavirus, rose 8% to 1,346 deaths, a government website said. Reported cases climbed 6% to 32,412.