OTTAWA, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said Monday that the government is looking seriously at tougher travel measures to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, including mandatory hotel quarantines for air travelers returning from non-essential trips abroad.
As of Monday afternoon, Canada's COVID-19 cases surpassed 750,000, with the total hitting 750,925, including 19,187 deaths Monday afternoon, according to CTV.
"This is a sneaky, sneaky virus and we all have to be aware of that," Freeland said at a press conference in Ottawa in response to being asked if Canadians can expect things to reopen at the end of 2021.
"Having said that, I think it's also extremely important for us to see that there is light at the end of the tunnel. There is light at the end of the tunnel, but it is a long tunnel," she added.
Canada's most populous province of Ontario reported 1,958 new cases of the COVID-19 on Monday, fewer than 2,000 new COVID-19 cases when the province marks the anniversary of detecting its first infection.
Monday's report brings the province's lab-confirmed case total to 256,960, including 5,846 deaths and 227,494 recoveries.
The province's seven-day average for the number of cases reported is 2,370, down significantly from the 3,034 reported the same time last week. There are currently 23,620 active cases of the novel coronavirus in Ontario.
Meanwhile, Quebec reported its lowest case count in the province in weeks with 1,203 new cases and 43 deaths on Monday. The province has confirmed 254,836 cases and 9,521 deaths and 228,887 recoveries.
Canada has seen a recent downward trend in daily case counts over the past 10 days, with a seven-day average of 6,079 new cases daily on Jan. 15-21, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada on Monday.
"While this suggests that community-based measures may be starting to take effect, it is too soon to be sure that current measures are strong enough and broad enough to maintain a steady downward trend," said Canada's Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam in a statement on Monday.
"It is important to remember that the vast majority of Canadians remain susceptible to COVID-19. This is why it is important for everyone to continue with individual precautions to protect ourselves, our families and our communities," Tam said.
Tam said that outbreaks continue to occur in high-risk populations and communities, including hospitals and long-term care homes, correctional facilities, congregate living settings, Indigenous communities, and more remote areas of the country.
"These factors underscore the importance of sustaining public health measures and individual practices and not easing restrictions too fast or too soon. This is particularly important in light of the emergence of new virus variants of concern that could rapidly accelerate the transmission of COVID-19 in Canada," Tam added. Enditem