7 new COVID-19 cases in PEI, Newfoundland and Labrador

There are three new cases of COVID-19 on Prince Edward Island, and four more in Newfoundland and Labrador, provincial officials said Tuesday.

That brings P.E.I.’s total to 21.

Chief public health officer Dr. Heather Morrison said all three new cases are people who had travelled internationally and are self-isolating.

She said a man in Summerside has been fined $1,000 for failing to self-isolate.

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Newfoundland and Labrador’s provincial total is now 152.

Dr. Janice Fitzgerald, the chief medical officer of health, said all the cases are in the Eastern Health authority.

She said 11 people have been hospitalized due to the virus and two are in intensive care.

Municipal and privately-owned parks and campgrounds have been ordered to close but Fitzgerald said people should still exercise outside while keeping their distance from others.

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As of March 31, there over 7,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Canada.  A total of 516 of those cases are people who have recovered, and 95 people who have died. 

Governments across Canada have begun implementing longer-term plans to fight the spread of COVID-19.

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the feds are ramping up efforts to manufacture and distribute key medical supplies, saying the government is bracing for a worst-case scenario.

Ottawa is also allocating $2 billion to buy protective equipment for health-care workers across the country.

Meanwhile, two provinces are settling in for a longer period of physical distancing by announcing that schools will remain closed for at least a month longer than originally planned.

The Manitoba government says schools are closed indefinitely, while Ontario is extending its current closure until at least May.