Canada's Prime Minister Trudeau announces $1B to respond to COVID-19

#JustinTrudeau; #$1BillionFund; #COVID-19

Ottawa, Mar 11 (Canadian-Media): An announcement was made by Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Wednesday during a news conference in Ottawa regarding $1-billion fund to help Canadians respond to COVID-19, with half of the money going to the provinces and territories, media reports said.

Justin Trudeau. Image credit: Official Website

Include in the fund would be $275 million for additional research and vaccine development, and $200 million for federal medical supplies, supports for Indigenous communities and education efforts.

One-week waiting period for employment insurance would also be waived by the federal government to help workers and businesses affected by the novel coronavirus.

Additional measures are being explored by the federal government to support other affected Canadians, including income support for those who are not eligible for EI sickness benefits.

Other elements of the COVID-19 response fund include: $500 million to provinces and territories for critical health care system needs, mitigation efforts, equipment and to enhance surveillance and monitoring; $50 million for Public Health Agency of Canada's COVID-19 communications and public education efforts

Still included in the fund are: Enhancing Canada's Work-Sharing program to support employers who experience a downturn due to COVID-19; $100 million to support federal public health measures like enhanced surveillance, increased testing at the National Microbiology Laboratory; and additional $50 million to help vulnerable countries prepare for and respond to the virus, supporting efforts of the World Health Organization and other partners.