More than 5,000 Canadians have now died from the novel coronavirus, with cases topping 71,000.
By Tuesday afternoon, federal and provincial authorities said 5,169 had died from the virus, adding that at least 33,848 people had recovered. The total number of reported cases in the country was 71,415.
Quebec, the country’s hardest-hit province, accounted for 3,013 COVID-19-related deaths in Canada. However, that could rise later Tuesday, as provincial daily numbers have not yet been released.
Ontario, the second worst-hit province, has seen 1,725 people die from the virus. A total of 15,391 people have recovered.
Several provinces, including Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia, have announced some plans to ease restrictions and slowly reopen their provinces for business.
Despite the grim milestone, officials say the country’s curve is flattening. Newfoundland and Labrador and P.E.I. haven’t seen a new COVID-19 case in days, and the virus has yet to infect Nunavut.
Chief public health officer Theresa Tam said on May 2 that “by following public health recommendations, we have collectively brought down the rate of infection.”
More than one million people have been tested for the virus that causes COVID-19 in Canada so far.
However, Trudeau has warned that Canada is still “not in the recovery phase yet,” adding that by reopening too soon, a second wave of COVID-19 infections could send Canadians “back into confinement this summer.”
“We are still in the emergency phase… The vast majority of Canadians will continue to need to be very careful,” he said.