‘People in London have shown they know what to do’: Trudeau talks local COVID-19 response

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau praised the heroics of health-care workers across Canada and added that Londoners “have shown that they know what to do” in response to the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic.

Trudeau spoke on The Morning Show with Devon Peacock on Global News Radio 980 CFPL a day after his virtual visit with health-care workers in London, Ont., on Thursday.

“I wanted to thank them for the work that they’ve done because in London, and indeed across the country, it’s been absolutely extraordinary to see people stepping up the way they have during this pandemic,” he said.

“What I heard was how innovative they’ve been, how much they’ve been there for each other, how much they’ve been focused on helping people get through this. It’s really incredibly touching to see that despite this very, very challenging time — or perhaps because of this challenging time — the best in people really comes out.”

Trudeau also praised the behaviour and habits of Londoners during the first wave of the pandemic.

“I think people in London have shown that that they know what to do. We saw people really doing the right kinds of things and keeping conditions under control in London where you didn’t see spikes like elsewhere across the province or across the country,” he said.

“Yes, people should be understanding that it’s really pivotal that we act immediately to bend the curve to prevent this expansion that could happen in cases. And just know that the federal government will continue to be there for people.”

Before the onset of the second wave, the highest daily case count recorded by the Middlesex-London Health Unit was 24 on April 16. Between April 20 and Oct. 5, the highest daily case count was 14 recorded on Sept. 17, though most days saw five or fewer cases with several days seeing no new cases.

Daily case counts have grown throughout October and into November, however, with 36 cases recorded in the region on Nov. 7.

The rising number of cases is among a growing trend across much of Canada, with a new daily record nationally of 4,975 COVID-19 cases reported on Thursday.

Action needs to be taken immediately, Trudeau says, to preserve any chance Canadians will be able to gather over the holidays, “even in a restrained way.”

Trudeau also touched on the loss of 70 local jobs, announced Thursday, out of London’s Stryker Medical.

The London plant will shut down early next year “as manufacturing is consolidated in Michigan,” according to the London Free Press.

“My thoughts go out to the folks who work at Stryker. It’s difficult to do a pandemic, but it’s difficult to lose one’s job, particularly. We have supports there for people. I think one of the things in regards to that is we’ve seen how important it is to have our own supply chains and our own ability to produce medical supplies in Canada,” he said.

“That’s certainly something we’re going to be investing in as we move forward to strengthen our own domestic capacities as we’ve seen in terms of PPE. But how we get to building back better, first of all, is we get through this pandemic. We keep the numbers low and under control. So there’s not too much long term damage done either to people or to our economy.”

4:07 Coronavirus: Trudeau says Ottawa will help provinces, territories but stressed resources not unlimited