TORONTO - The suspension of Parliament as a precautionary measure on Friday and a recommendation against leaving the country were among extraordinary steps public and private-sector organizations announced to curb a pandemic that has sparked concerns Canada is headed into a recession.
The all-party decision to stop sitting in the House of Commons until April 20 came as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau remained in precautionary self-isolation along with his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, who is in quarantine with a mild case of COVID-19.
"It is an inconvenience and somewhat frustrating," Trudeau said from Ottawa. "We are all social beings after all, but we have to do this because we have to protect our neighbours and our friends — especially our more vulnerable seniors and people with pre-existing conditions."
The government, Trudeau said, was planning to restrict arriving international flights to unspecified airports to enable more stringent screening. Cruise ships with more than 500 people were also barred from docking in Canada until at least July 1.
While financial markets initially bounced back somewhat from Thursday's record-setting plunge, the country's largest banks warned of more economic storm clouds on the horizon. Canada, the Royal Bank and CIBC predicted, would fall into a recession this year in light of COVID-19 and the drastic decline in oil prices sparked by Saudi Arabia's ramped up production.
RBC, which predicted the economy will recover in the final three months of the year, said its forecast relies on the assumption that the impact of the pandemic will abate over the next three months.
Trudeau acknowledged the financial impact on people but said the government had "significant fiscal firepower" to cushion the blow of "this economic slowdown." Finance Minister Bill Morneau was slated to make an announcement later Friday.
"No one should have to worry about paying rent, buying groceries or additional child care because of COVID-19," Trudeau said. "We will help Canadians financially."
However, he was vague on what the government would be doing to alleviate those concerns beyond some income supports.
"We are going to be putting in place measures to support people, to make sure that they can make ends meet," Trudeau said. "We are looking at everything."
Canada has recorded more than 150 COVID-19 cases and one death in a pandemic that has swept much of the world. Experts say the disease poses little serious risk to most people, and one of the most effective measures is to maintain at least a metre distance from others. Countries such as China, where the virus originated, and Italy have already taken drastic measures to curb its spread.
Canada's chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, advised against any travel abroad as case numbers continued to rise. The medical officer of health in Ontario, which reported 20 new cases, urged suspension of gatherings of more than 250 people.
Quebec, with 17 total confirmed cases, said it was closing schools, colleges, universities and most child-care centres for two weeks.
Toronto's landmark CN Tower, a major tourist attraction, was set to close to visitors Friday as theatre companies tried to reassure reluctant patrons they were taking extraordinary measures to help combat the spread of the virus.
Cineplex, for example, said it was rolling out "enhanced cleaning protocols" at locations across the country, while Toronto's TIFF Bell Lightbox theatre said it would limit tickets for the next four weeks. It asked movie-goers to maintain a three-seat distance within its cinemas.
The House of Commons also said it was cancelling all public tours until April 20.
Thursday had marked a dramatic ramping up of measures to curtail the spread of the virus. Ontario announced the closure of schools, and numerous major entertainment and sports events — the Juno Awards and professional hockey among them — were cancelled.
Similar announcements continued on Friday.
Nova Scotia, which has yet to see a COVID-19 case, said public sector workers and public school children who travel abroad would have to isolate themselves for two weeks on return to Canada, though it was unclear how that could be enforced. The province also recommended organizations to limit social gatherings to no more than 150 people.
Colleges and universities announced the cancellation of in-person classes.
"Take care of yourselves and each other," York University's president, Rhonda Lenton, said in her school's announcement.
Mosques across the country cancelled Friday prayers, though some in Vancouver and Montreal opted to limit the size of gatherings to fewer than 250 people.
