Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is urging Canadians to be vigilant in following public health guidelines as COVID-19 cases climb across the country.
Speaking with reporters before a two-day cabinet retreat in Ottawa, Trudeau warned that as the number of new infections rises, “we are not out of the woods” when it comes to the health crisis. He said people need to “be there for each other” by maintaining physical distancing, washing hands and wearing masks.
“The last thing anyone wants is to go into this fall in a lockdown similar to this spring, and the way we do that is by remaining vigilant,” he said.
The cabinet retreat comes ahead of the Sept. 23 return of Parliament. Trudeau said the government’s focus is on keeping Canadians safe through the COVID-19 crisis by keeping transmission under control and not overloading the health-care system.
Trudeau prorogued Parliament to reset the government’s agenda, stating that the mandate had been knocked off course by the pandemic.
Justice Minister David Lametti said the priority for the government is to tackle the twin challenges of controlling COVID-19 while planning economic recovery.
“We have to map out where we’re going to take the country,” he said. “Obviously we’re listening to Canadians and we’re going to do, we hope, some very positive things as we come out of COVID.”
It’s the first time the Liberal cabinet has met in person since the pandemic struck. Lametti said ministers have been told the gathering is “safe and compliant.”
Photo credit: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
News source: CBC News
