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The latest developments on COVID-19 in Canada

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The latest news on the COVID-19 global pandemic (all times Eastern):

3:55 p.m.

More grim numbers are emerging at a long-term care home in suburban Montreal.

A spokesman for the regional health authority says 61 of 99 residents at the Residence Herron have tested positive for COVID-19 so far, with some results still pending.

Guillaume Berube, speaking for the health agency, says some of the residents have been hospitalized "because of their condition."

The new numbers do not include the 31 deaths reported earlier at the facility, which came under provincial trusteeship after reports of appalling conditions at the home.

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3:35 p.m.

British Columbia's provincial health officer says the province has 29 new positive COVID-19 cases as of Saturday afternoon.

That brings the province's total to 1,647 people who have tested positive for the virus.

Dr. Bonnie Henry says three more people died of the virus, raising the province’s death toll to 81.

The latest deaths came from long-term care facilities.

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2:10 p.m.

Quebec is reporting 723 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total to 17,521.

The province has recorded 117 deaths since Friday, meaning 805 Quebecers have now died due to the virus.

The province saw 54 new hospitalizations for a total of 1,130.

Among these, the number of patients in intensive care has risen by 51 to a total of 258.

1:55 p.m.

The Elizabeth Fry Society says an alarming 60 per cent of inmates at a federal women's prison northeast of Montreal are infected with COVID-19.

The organization says there are 50 confirmed cases of the virus at the Joliette Institution, up from just 10 on April 7, with more likely given the delay in test results.

The group says prisons lack hygienic spaces and the capacity for physical distancing, making it "extremely difficult" to curb an outbreak.

The Elizabeth Fry Society also warns that segregation units are being used to isolate sick prisoners, calling the practice "troubling" and "cruel."

It says the Grand Valley Institution for Women in Kitchener, Ont., has nine confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus and, as of Friday, the Fraser Valley Institution for Women in Abbotsford, B.C., reported its first confirmed case.

The organization says the Correctional Service of Canada typically tests only inmates who show symptoms, cautioning that the virus could erupt if new protocols aren't adopted.

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1:50 p.m.

Nova Scotia is reporting three more deaths due to COVID-19, along with 43 new positive tests. 

One-hundred and eighty-four people have recovered of the total 649 confirmed cases in the province, while seven people have died due to the illness.

A government news release says the three recent deaths occurred at the Northwood long-term care home in Halifax on Friday.

Premier Stephen McNeil says the government is working with the home on an emergency plan to protect residents from the outbreak.

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12:40 p.m.

Newfoundland and Labrador has confirmed one new case of COVID-19.

The province has confirmed 257 cases of the illness and of those, 189 people have recovered.

Six people are currently hospitalized and three are in intensive care.

The province has tested 5,871 people as of Saturday.

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12:20 p.m.

Toronto Mayor John Tory says he's started discussions with city officials about when regular life can restart, though he warns the time hasn't come yet.

Tory says there's no "on and off switch" for physical distancing, and that changes will be made in phases.

He says all plans to re-open the city will be based on continuing to protect public health and saving lives.

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12 p.m.

New Brunswick is reporting one more confirmed case of COVID-19.

Five people are in hospital due to the virus and three are in intensive care.

Eighty-seven people from New Brunswick have recovered from the virus. The province has 118 confirmed cases.

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11:15 a.m.

Canada has extended its border closure with the United States for 30 days.

The closure restricts non-essential travel across the border.

The border was originally closed on March 21, with the arrangement set to expire on Tuesday.

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10:30 a.m.

Ontario reported another 485 cases of COVID-19 today as the province passed a total of 10,000 cases of the virus.

There were also 36 new deaths for a new total of 514.

More than 800 people are in hospital and 250 them are in intensive care.

The Canadian Press

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