Coronavirus: Canada adds 325 new cases on Friday as Atlantic lifts travel limits

Canada added 325 new coronavirus cases across the country Friday, as well as 21 more deaths.

The country now has 105,072 cases total, with 27,716 of them active. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to 8,663 deaths total in Canada, while 68,693 people have recovered.

Ontario reported the most cases Friday at 165, bringing the provincial total to 35,535. However, only Toronto and nearby Peel and York regions have reported more than five new cases.

A total of 30,909 cases are considered resolved in the province — 87 per cent of all confirmed cases.

Two new deaths were also announced Friday, the province’s smallest increase since March 31, when no deaths were reported. Ontario now has seen 2,682 deaths total.

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Quebec, the province hardest hit by the coronavirus, saw 89 new cases on Friday, bringing its total to 55,682, as well as 19 new deaths to make 5,560 total for the province.

The number of hospitalizations has dropped over the last week, though, with 392 patients in hospital, down 19 from Thursday. Of them, 31 are in intensive care.

Saskatchewan reported one new case to raise its overall count to 796.

The new case is in the far north, which continues to have the majority of active cases in the province. Of its 71 active cases, 40 are in the far north, 18 in the south, eight in the north and five in Saskatoon.

Alberta announced 57 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the province to make 8,259 cases total, with no new deaths. There are currently 572 active cases in the province.

British Columbia has confirmed 13 new cases of COVID-19, but recorded no new deaths on Friday.

The province also revised its number of total cases down to 2,947, after identifying six cases as being residents of other provinces.

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No new cases of the virus were reported in Manitoba Friday, but health officials warned that passengers on Air Canada flight 295 from Winnipeg to Vancouver on June 19 may be at risk of exposure to COVID-19.

There are still three active cases of the novel coronavirus in Nova Scotia as the province reported no new cases. No new cases were announced for P.E.I., Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick or any of the territories.

The lack of new cases in the east has allowed travel restrictions to be lifted between the Atlantic provinces, meaning residents can now travel between the four provinces without the need to self-isolate for 14 days after arriving.

— With files from Ryan Rocca, Kalina Laframboise, David Giles, Graeme Benjamin, Kirby Bourne, Simon Little and Shane Gibson