Authorities investigate worker's death in a Kentucky grain bin

A COMPLETELY PREVENTABLE INCIDENT IF OSHA APPLIED ON THE FARM

Adolfo Garcia, 44, died in a grain bin accident in Kentucky on Tuesday. Photo courtesy of Pixabay

EVANSVILLE, Ind., March 20 (UPI) -- Authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a farmworker in a Kentucky grain bin this week.

Adolfo Garcia, 44, died in a grain bin accident at United Livestock Commodities Inc. on Tuesday. He is at least the seventh person to die in a grain bin accident in the United States this year.

Garcia had entered the bin "in an attempt to dislodge a portion of grain that was stuck," according to the Graves County Sheriff's Office, which responded to the call. "A witness and co-worker reported that as that portion of grain dislodged, a large amount of grain collapsed on the victim."

The bin, which was large enough to hold about 80,000 bushels, was partially filled with corn.

Several local fire departments and rescue groups -- along with neighboring farmers in tractors and semi-trucks -- worked for nearly four hours to free Garcia from the bin. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

An autopsy was conducted Tuesday, but the results have not been released, Graves County Coroner Brad Jones said.

Garcia is survived by a wife and five children. His community has set up a benefit account at a local bank to help his family, according to the sheriff's office.

His family planned a private service, according to his obituary.

Dozens of farmers and farmworkers die in grain bins every year. Accidents happen most often on farms with few employees that are not required to follow Occupational Safety and Health Administration safety regulations.

It is unclear if OSHA will investigate the accident.

IT IS NOT AN ACCIDENT IN OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY

IT IS CALLED A PREVENTABLE INCIDENT
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TRUMP COVID-19 HAND WASHING SONG FOR SMALL HANDS

US Farmers fear coronavirus will curb migrant workforce, lead to produce shortages

With U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services interviews suspended amid the coronavirus pandemic, farmers will be unable to bring in any new migrant workers. Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of Agriculture


EVANSVILLE, Ind., March 20 (UPI) -- Fresh fruits and vegetables could be in short supply this year because the coronavirus pandemic is making it more difficult for farmers to bring in migrant workers from other countries.

As of Thursday, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services had suspended all in-person interviews until further notice to protect its staff from the rapidly spreading disease.

The decision means no new migrant workers can obtain visas. With spring planting season about to begin in many states, farmers fear they won't have enough labor to plant and later harvest their crops.

"This is a problem," said Jason Resnick, the vice president and general counsel of Western Growers, an association that represents family farmers in Arizona, California, Colorado and New Mexico.

"There will be less fresh produce on store shelves because of this -- there is no doubt about it," Resnick said. "Farmers are not going to be able to produce all of their crops for lack of labor."

On Friday, however, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told the media at a coronovirus update press conference that the United States will do all it can to ensure that foreign migrant workers can return for the harvest season. He did not elaborate.

Currently, only foreign workers who came to the United States last year under the migrant farm worker program (H2-A) may return, Resnick said. On an average year, returning migrant workers comprise between 40 and 50 percent of America's 250,000 annual migrant farmworkers, the majority of whom are from Mexico, Guatemala or other Latin American countries.

"At this point, we'll be lucky to get half the workers we need," Resnick said.

On Thursday, the U.S. Agriculture and Labor departments announced they had identified nearly 20,000 migrant workers currently in the United States whose contracts are about to expire and "could be available" to work for a different farm.

"At this point, we just don't know how many workers we're going to get," said Zippy Duvall, the president of the American Farm Bureau Federation. "If it's a low number, we could really face some problems. It has the potential to have a serious effect on the food supply this fall."

The impact will be on fruits and vegetables -- produce such as tomatoes, peppers, berries and melons -- that have to be tended and picked by hand.

"Basically, all the things that you would grow in your garden," Duvall said.

Commodity crops -- like wheat, corn and potatoes -- can be planted and harvested using tractors and other machinery.

"We are not a highly mechanized industry," said Brian Garwood, the owner of Garwood Orchards, a fruit farm in northern Indiana . "We are still dependent on labor. And it is tough work. We can't get Americans to do these jobs. If I don't get migrant workers, we won't be able to do anything. I'll go out of business."

On Thursday, Garwood said he still was on track to receive his normal returning workforce this spring.

"My first visas are set to arrive April 1," Garwood said. "I don't really need them until April 19, but I'm going to ask for them as soon as possible. I don't want to risk not getting them here and not getting a crop planted."

Nearly 70 percent of the vegetables and about 45 percent of the fruit consumed in the United States is grown domestically, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

"We take food for granted," Duvall said. "The fact is, we can do without just about everything we have -- except for food and water. And we have to plan for food production."

NOT SO IN CANADA THOUGH

https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/2020/03/as-canada-virus-cases-pass-1000-asylum.html

CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY

U.S. to Iran: Coronavirus won't save you from sanctions

ON PERSIAN/FARSI/KURDISH NEW YEARS NORWUZ

WASHINGTON/DUBAI (Reuters) - The United States sent Iran a blunt message this week: the spread of the coronavirus will not save it from U.S. sanctions that are choking off its oil revenues and isolating its economy.

Iran is the Middle Eastern nation worst hit by coronavirus, with its death toll climbing to 1,284 and one person dying from it every 10 minutes and 50 becoming infected every hour, the health ministry said.

The United States, which argues that its “maximum pressure” campaign to curb Iran’s nuclear, missile and regional activities does not stop the flow of humanitarian goods, imposed new sanctions this week.

The Trump administration blacklisted five companies based in the United Arab Emirates, three in mainland China, three in Hong Kong and one in South Africa for trade in Iran’s petrochemicals.

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Rouhani urges Americans to call on U.S. to lift sanctions as Iran fights coronavirus: state media

“Washington’s increased pressure against Iran is a crime against humanity,” an Iranian official told Reuters. “All the world should help each other to overcome this disease.”

Some analysts suggested the Trump administration should do more to speed the flow of humanitarian goods into Iran, though they saw little evidence to suggest this was in the offing.

“Our policy of maximum pressure on the regime continues,” Brian Hook, the U.S. Special Representative for Iranian Affairs, told reporters. “U.S. sanctions are not preventing aid from getting to Iran.”

On Monday, China called on the United States to give Iran sanctions relief for humanitarian reasons but U.S. officials, foreign diplomats and analysts saw no signs of this.

“While Iran is an epicenter of this virus outbreak and facing true economic catastrophe ... there will be no relief on sanctions,” said Elizabeth Rosenberg of the Center for a New American Security think tank.

Hook said Washington sent a diplomatic note to Tehran offering help with coronavirus “and it was quickly rejected.”

He also blamed Iran’s leadership for its coronavirus woes, saying that Iran “spends billions on terrorism and foreign wars” and that if it spent one tenth of this “on a better health care system, the Iranian people would have been much better off.”

In what might be a gesture to Washington, Tehran released U.S. citizen Michael White from its custody though he must stay in Iran.

Suzanne Maloney of the Brookings Institution think tank said Iran allowing White or other detained U.S. citizens to fly home might appeal to President Donald Trump.


“I still don’t believe this administration wants to provide a lot of leeway to the Iranian authorities but that doesn’t mean they can’t or shouldn’t be looking for every opportunity to” get medical supplies into Iran, she said.

The outbreak in Iran was likely to spread as Iranians travel for the Nowruz new year’s celebration, she added, saying this could hurt U.S. security partners across the region.

“Iran is Italy, only on steroids,” Maloney said, alluding to the outbreak in Italy, whose coronavirus death toll on Thursday overtook that of China, where the virus emerged.

Mark Dubowitz, an Iran hawk with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies policy group, said Washington could send medical goods to Iran via private groups but should not ease sanctions.

“At the very time Iranian-backed Shi’ite militias in Iraq are killing Americans and Brits and others, this would be exactly the wrong time to be providing any kind of economic relief to the regime,” he said, referring to last week’s attack on a military camp in Iraq that killed one British and two U.S. personnel..

FILE PHOTO: Members of firefighters wear protective face masks, amid fear of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), as they disinfect the streets, ahead of the Iranian New Year Nowruz, March 20, in Tehran, Iran March 18, 2020. Picture taken March 18, 2020. WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Ali Khara via REUTERS

“We should be sending medical supplies directly to Iranians through non-governmental organizations and bypass the regime.”

Iranians appeared to have mixed feelings about whether Washington was making its outbreak worse.

“America’s sanctions are preventing Iran from getting necessary medicine and equipment to fight against this virus. They have to lift it,” said dentist Arash Hosseini, 52, in Tehran.

But Twitter user @fnikjoo, suggested sanctions relief would just provide “Money to support more terrorists in the region and beyond.”

Less than 60% in U.S. trust government's medical advice, study showsThe United States showed the least amount of government trust among citizens of the six nations polled. 


U.S. Vice President Mike Pence gives an update on the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic in a briefing at the White House on Wednesday. Photo Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

March 20 (UPI) -- Before the coronavirus pandemic took hold worldwide, less than 60 percent of Americans said they trust in the medical information and advice they receive from the government, a new study showed Friday.

Gallup said it asked the question to citizens of six countries as part of its Wellcome Global Monitor study. The data was compiled for the year 2018, well before the COVID-19 outbreak began, but the pollster said it indicates trends that are highly relevant to the pandemic now.

The study found 59 percent of Americans said they have "a lot" or "some" of health advice from the federal government. Thirty-six percent said they have "not much" or no trust at all.

The United States showed the least amount of government trust among citizens of the six nations polled. The most trust was found in Germany (83 percent), followed by Britain (81 percent), Spain (77 percent), France (70 percent) and Italy (63 percent).

Italy, however, showed the most distrust among citizens. Thirty-six percent of Italians said they have not much or no trust in health advice from their government. More than 3,400 people in Italy have died so far from the coronavirus, the most of any nation. Twenty-nine percent of Americans said they have little or no trust in government advice.

"While the vast majority of residents in these countries do have faith in their government's medical and health advice, the strikingly large minorities of residents in countries such as Italy and the United States may be less likely to adopt crucial government advice to stop the spread of COVID-19, particularly when it is voluntary rather than compulsory," Gallup wrote.

In the United States, trust in the government was highest among Americans between the ages of 15 and 29, and was lowest among those 50 and older.

By contrast, more than 90 percent of citizens in all six countries said they place "a lot" or "some" trust in the advice when it comes from medical workers, like doctors and nurses.

As Canada virus cases pass 1,000, asylum seekers to be turned back; jobless claims soar

In relief for Canada's agriculture sector, temporary foreign workers to be allowed in

OTTAWA/TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada will turn back asylum seekers who walk over the U.S.-Canada border, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Friday, as economic damage from the coronavirus outbreak intensified and a ban on non-essential travel across the world’s longest undefended border was set to come into effect.

More than 500,000 applications for Canadian unemployment benefits were made so far this week, versus just under 27,000 in the same week last year, Trudeau said. The monthly number of unemployment insurance claims last year averaged 239,000.

“This is of course an unprecedented situation and it is putting a lot of pressure on our system, but we’re on it,” he told reporters outside his house, where he has been in isolation since his wife tested positive for the virus last week.

Air Canada (AC.TO), the country’s largest carrier, said on Friday it will temporarily lay off more than 5,100 employees.

The jobless claims indicate an unemployment rate over the next two months “probably the likes of which we have not seen in the post-war era,” said Bank of Montreal Chief Economist Douglas Porter.

The Bank of Canada on Friday said it would take additional measures to help ensure financial markets continue operating smoothly “given the rapidly evolving uncertainty”.

Canada’s tally of reported cases of the COVID-19 respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus has surpassed 1,000, along with 12 deaths.

It closed its borders to most foreign nationals and agreed with the United States this week to close their shared border. A notice from the U.S. Homeland Security Department (DHS) said restrictions will begin at 11:59 p.m. EDT Friday and last until April 20.

Trudeau said the measure to return asylum seekers who walk into Canada outside official border stations was a temporary one to protect the health of Canadians during the coronavirus outbreak.

Thousands have illegally crossed the Canada-U.S. border to file refugee claims in recent years, spurred by tougher U.S. immigration policies under President Donald Trump’s administration.

The Canadian Council for Refugees said it was “shocked” at the decision to turn back migrants.

As the border deadline approached, traffic was already snarled on some crossings early on Friday owing to stepped-up screening measures by the Canada Border Service Agency.

In a relief for Canada’s agriculture sector, temporary foreign workers are exempt from the restrictions.

Trudeau’s government has pledged C$27 billion ($18.6 billion) in support, which could blow out the fiscal deficit and lead to higher government borrowing by nearly 40%, according to Reuters calculations.

Additional reporting by Allison Lampert in Montreal, Moira Warburton in Toronto and Rod Nickel in Winnipeg; editing by Shounak Dasgupta, Jason Neely, Andrea Ricci, Marguerita Choy and Cynthia Osterman

In relief for Canada's agriculture sector, temporary foreign workers to be allowed in


OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada will allow temporary foreign workers with valid visas to enter the country, officials said on Friday, offering possible salvation to the agriculture industry even as Ottawa moves to limit the spread of a coronavirus outbreak.

Canada’s labor-strapped farms rely heavily on nearly 60,000 temporary foreign workers to help plant and harvest crops like fruit and vegetables. They also account for about 3% of meat and seafood processors’ labor force.

Ottawa this week said it would close its borders to all foreign nationals, except U.S. citizens, prompting industry concerns about the potential damage to this year’s harvest.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters that “valid work and student visas to come to Canada will be respected... and that includes temporary foreign workers.”

Those individuals, like all persons entering Canada from abroad, will be required to self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival, she added.

Many of the workers come to Canada via the Seasonal Agriculture Worker Program. It allows farmers to hire workers from Mexico or certain Caribbean countries for a maximum of eight months, provided they can offer workers a minimum of 240 hours of work within a period of six weeks or less.

Farm groups said a lack of workers would challenge Canada’s agriculture supply chain.

In a notice sent on Wednesday, the groups sent a document to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet outlining suggested ways to get workers from countries whose borders or airports are shut to Canada, including the use of chartered flights, said sources with direct knowledge of the file.

The proposal laid out how farmers could maintain operational health and safety and ensure workers, who often live in close-quarters on farms, could self-isolate for 14-days upon arrival, the sources said.

A senior government official told Reuters on Thursday all options were on the table and discussions with provincial counterparts were ongoing.

Nikki Haley exits Boeing board, saying she opposes US bailout

GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File / John Lamparski

Nikki Haley resigned from Boeing's board of directors, saying she was philosophically opposed to company efforts to garner a government bailout

Former UN ambassador Nikki Haley resigned from Boeing's board of directors, saying she was philosophically opposed to efforts to win a government bailout, the firm said Thursday.

Haley, a former governor of South Carolina, said she had hoped "to be part of helping" Boeing as it contends with the coronavirus crisis on top of the travails with the 737 MAX.

But Boeing's leaders and board "are going in a direction I cannot support," Haley said in a resignation later included in a Boeing securities filing.

"While I know cash is tight, that is equally true for numerous other industries and for millions of small businesses," she said, adding that she has "long held strong convictions" against government support.

Boeing is seeking at least $60 billion in federal support for the aerospace industry as the grounding of much of the global airline fleet due to coronavirus obliterates nearly term demand for commercial planes.

"I cannot support a move to lean on the federal government for a stimulus or bailout that prioritizes our company over others and relies on taxpayers to guarantee our financial position," she said in her letter, adding that she would remain a "strong supporter of Boeing and its workforce."

Haley, who is seen as a potential Republican party candidate for national office, was named to the board in February 2019, shortly before the MAX was grounded following two deadly plane crashes.

She praised Boeing leadership and expressed confidence in the 737 MAX, which remains grounded following two deadly crashes and still must clear some important regulatory hoops before it will fly again.

A Boeing spokesman said, "We appreciate her service on the board and wish her well."


Nikki Haley quits Boeing board over push for $60B in coronavirus aid

Nikki Haley joined the Boeing board in April 2019 after serving as President Donald Trump's top ambassador to the United Nations. File Photo by Manuel Elias/U.N./UPI | License Photo

March 20 (UPI) -- Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has resigned from Boeing's board of directors after less than a year, apparently because the aerospace giant is asking for $60 billion in federal aid amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The U.S. airline industry has seen passenger demand plummet in recent weeks as the coronavirus disease has expanded worldwide and nations have temporarily closed their borders. Boeing, also a top defense contractor, said it needs the federal aid to stabilize its operations and those of companies in its supply chain.

In a filing Thursday with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Boeing said Haley resigned Monday. She joined the board last April.

"As a matter of philosophical principle, she does not believe that the company should seek support from the federal government, and therefore decided to resign from the board," Boeing told the SEC.

Haley said in her resignation letter she understands Boeing still faces challenges related to the grounding of its 737 Max, but cannot support its decision to ask for public money.

"While I know cash is tight, that is equally true for numerous other industries and for millions of small businesses," Haley wrote. "I cannot support a move to lean on the federal government for a stimulus or bailout that prioritizes our company over others and relies on taxpayers to guarantee our financial position.

"I have long held strong convictions that this is not the role of government."

Haley served as President Donald Trump's chief ambassador to the United Nations for the first two years of his administration. Before that, she was governor of South Carolina for six years.

Boeing warned last month that short-term aircraft deliveries could be affected by the coronavirus outbreak, particularly due to an expected decline in demand in Asia.

Cricket great Warne's gin distillery shifts to hand sanitiser

AFP/File / GEORGES GOBETHand sanitiser is in short supply in many countries battling coronavirus

Australian cricket great Shane Warne has halted production of gin at a distillery he co-owns to make medical-grade hand sanitiser for hospitals in these "challenging times".

The spin legend, who played 145 Tests, responded to Prime Minister Scott Morrison's plea for companies to help wherever they can during the spiralling coronavirus crisis.

"This is a challenging time for Australians and we all need to do what we can to help our healthcare system combat this disease and save lives," Warne said on his Instagram page.

"I am happy SevenZeroEight has the ability to make this shift and encourage others to do the same."

Warne is a co-founder in the company alongside two prominent surgeons with an agreement in place to supply two Western Australian hospitals with hand sanitiser at cost.

The company halted gin production earlier this week and is now pumping out 70-percent alcohol hand sanitiser indefinitely.

"Great work Shane and team. We need leaders in the community to stand up -- you have always been and are one," said one of his social media followers.

It follows a similar move by a distillery in Ireland, with hand sanitiser in short supply in many countries battling the virus.

Australia has so far seen more than 750 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, with seven deaths from the disease.

VIRUS KILLS CAPITALISM
Panic buying, lockdowns may drive world food inflation: FAO, analysts

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Lockdowns and panic food buying due to the coronavirus pandemic could ignite world food inflation even though there are ample supplies of staple grains and oilseeds in key exporting nations, a senior economist at FAO and agricultural analysts said.

The world’s richest nations poured unprecedented aid into the global economy as coronavirus cases ballooned across Europe and the United States, with the number of deaths in Italy outstripping those in mainland China, where the virus originated.

With over 270,000 infections and more than 11,000 deaths, the epidemic has stunned the world and drawn comparisons with periods such as World War Two and the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic.

“All you need is panic buying from big importers such as millers or governments to create a crisis,” said Abdolreza Abbassian, chief economist at the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

“It is not a supply issue, but it is a behavioral change over food security,” he told Reuters by phone from Rome, the FAO headquarters. “What if bulk buyers think they can’t get wheat or rice shipments in May or June? That is what could lead to a global food supply crisis.”

Graphic: Stocks of global crop staples - here


Consumers across the world from Singapore to the United States have queued at super markets in recent weeks to stock up on items ranging from rice and hand sanitizers to toilet paper.

The global benchmark Chicago wheat futures rose more than 6% this week, the biggest weekly gain in nine months, while rice prices in Thailand, the world’s 2nd largest exporter of the grain, have climbed to the highest since August 2013.

France’s grain industry is scrambling to find enough trucks and staff to keep factories and ports running as the panic buying of pasta and flour coincides with a surge in wheat exports.

Restrictions imposed by some European Union countries at their borders with other member states in response to the pandemic are also disrupting food supplies, representatives of the industry and farmers said.

However, global wheat stocks at the end of the crop marketing year in June are projected to rise to 287.14 million tonnes, up from 277.57 million tonnes a year ago, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates.

Graphic: Stocks of crop and food staples - here


World rice stocks are projected at 182.3 million tonnes as compared with 175.3 million tonnes a year ago.

FOOD IN THE RIGHT PLACE

Logistics are likely to be a major global issue, analysts said.

“There is about 140 million tonnes of corn that goes in ethanol in the United States and some of that can used for food as it won’t be needed for fuel, given the drop in oil prices,” said Ole Houe, director of advisory services at brokerage IKON Commodities

“The concern is having food at the right time in the right place.”

Asian buyers were inactive this week with uncertainty looming in the market.

“We are not sure about the demand. What it is going to look like in June or July?” said one Singapore-based purchasing manager at a flour milling company that has operations across Southeast Asia. “Restaurant business is down, and as a result demand is a bit soft right now.”

Asian wheat importers, including the region’s top importer Indonesia, have been taking a bulk of the cargoes from the Black Sea region amid a global oversupply.


Oil exporting nations in the Middle East, which are also net grain importers, are likely to feel more financial pain with crude losing more than 60% of its value this year.

“Net oil exporters’ capacity to buy grains has dropped given the fall in oil prices and depreciation in currencies,” said FAO’s Abbassian.

“There will be less capacity to take policy actions to boost economies.”


Reporting by Naveen Thukral; Additional reporting by Patpicha Tanakasempipat in BANGKOK Editing by Gavin Maguire and Raju Gopalakrishnan

Canada's stretched hospitals brace for impact

Allison Martell, Moira Warburton

BECAUSE CONSERVATIVE PREMIERS HAVE CUT HEALTHCARE STAFF


TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada’s health system is preparing for an influx of coronavirus patients in the midst of a long-running bed shortage, calling doctors out of retirement and ramping down any treatment that can wait.

FILE PHOTO: A sign for washing hands is seen during a news media tour of quarantine facilities for treating novel coronavirus at Jewish General Hospital in Montreal, Quebec, Canada March 2, 2020. REUTERS/Christinne Muschi

A shortage of beds during periods of peak demand, like the flu season, is a longstanding problem in the publicly funded system. While health spending has risen gradually in recent years, beds have not kept pace with population growth.

“You’ve got people in broom closets and auditoriums and conference rooms across the country,” said Michael Gardam, chief of staff at one Ontario’s newest hospitals, the 656-bed Humber River Hospital.

Canada has 925 cases of the COVID-19 respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus, and 12 deaths.

A preliminary model published by Canadian researchers this week estimated that if cases increase by 7.5 percent each day, Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, will run out of ICU beds and ventilators in about 37 days.

Between Sunday and Thursday, daily case counts grew an average of 16% a day.

In British Columbia, which has seen the most virus-linked deaths in Canada, the majority of hospitals are running between 110% and 140% of their official capacity, said Christine Sorensen, president of the BC Nurses’ Union.

Most current Canadian hospitals were built between the 1940-1960s, under a federal program. Budget cuts forced closures, and in recent years, growing demand for long-term care has further strained the system.

Canada had 12.9 adult intensive care beds per 100,000 people, according to a study based on 2013-14 data, with variations across the country. British Columbia had only 10.5 beds, and the Atlantic province of Newfoundland and Labrador had 21.8, according to a report from Canadian Institute for Health Information.

Quebec’s government recently said it has 1,000 ICU beds, or 11.8 per 100,000.

In contrast, the United States had 34.7 ICU beds per 100,000 as of 2009, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information.

With little time left to prepare, officials are moving to make the most of what they have.

British Columbia’s College of Physicians and Surgeons put a call out to doctors who retired in the last two years to re-register under a special emergency class.

Ontario told hospitals this week to ramp down elective surgeries and non-urgent treatment. It also said it would invest C$100 million to increase capacity, but it is not clear how quickly that can be done.

An Ontario committee set up to address the crisis is looking at how to move more patients out of hospitals and into long-term care or home with care, a document obtained by Reuters showed.

Alberta is enabling doctors to bill for phone consultations, in an effort to keep patients at home.

Its College of Physicians and Surgeons told doctors that unregulated technology, like email and texting, may be justified under the “extraordinary circumstances.”

Some hospitals have the capacity to re-open beds that have been closed over the years, said Michael Hurley, president of the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions, but that is not occurring quickly enough.

“So far we haven’t talked about approaching this virus with the intensity that the Chinese have,” said Hurley, citing China’s move to open up thousands of hospital beds in a matter of days to handle the influx of coronavirus patients. China assembled new hospitals in Wuhan using prefabricated buildings.

One top priority will be protecting healthcare workers, for their own safety and so they can continue to see patients.

“It’s going to be a burden on the staff; it’s going to be a burden on the system,” said Paul-Émile Cloutier, president of hospital advocacy group HealthCareCAN.

“The challenges of COVID-19 underscore the challenges that already exist in the system.”


Editing by Amran Abocar and Dan Grebler