Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - September 19, 2020, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A18 A 18 SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2020 ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COMNEWS I COVID-19 PANDEMIC You have between September 15-26 to complete your run! Submit your times on Facebook @run2believewinnipeg or email them to: smongru@run2believewinnipeg.ca September 15 - 26, 2020 In support of St. Boniface Hospital 2K Youth $35 Adult $45 5K Youth $40 Adult $50 10K Youth $45 Adult $55 run2believewinnipeg.ca TO REGISTER: @run2believewinnipeg #run2believewinnipeg VIRTUAL EDITION! Finisher Medals, Bib & Shirt INCLUDED Platinum Sponsor LAST WEEK TO REGISTER PUBLIC NOTICE CANADIAN NAVIGABLE WATERS ACT The City of Winnipeg hereby gives notice that an application has been made to the Minister of Transport, pursuant to the Canadian Navigable Waters Act for approval of the work described herein and its site and plans. Pursuant to paragraph 7(2) of the said Act, the City of Winnipeg has deposited with the Minister of Transport, on the on-line Navigable Waters Registry (http://cps.canada.ca/) and under registry number 2088 or, under the NPP File Number 2020-602938 a description of the following work, its site and plans: proposed placement of rip rap along the south bank of the Assiniboine River on Wellington Crescent between Assiniboine Park and Doncaster Street. Comments regarding the effect of this work on marine navigation can be sent through the Common Project Search site mentioned above under the Comment section (search by the above referenced number) or if you do not have access to the internet, by sending your comments directly to: Transport Canada - NPP 344 Edmonton Street Winnipeg, MB R3C 0P6 However, comments will be considered only if they are in writing (electronic means preferable) and are received not later than 30 days after the publication of the last notice. Although all comments conforming to the above will be considered, no individual response will be sent. Posted at Winnipeg, MB this 19th day of September, 2020. JERUSALEM — Israel went back into a full lock- down on Friday to try to contain a coronavirus outbreak that has steadily worsened for months as its government has been plagued by indecision and infighting. The three-week lockdown, which began in the early afternoon, will require the closure of many businesses and set strict limits on movement and public gatherings. The closures coincide with the Jewish High Holidays, when people typically visit their families and gather for large prayer services. In an address late Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that even stricter measures may be needed to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed. There are currently more than 46,000 active cases, with at least 577 hospital- ized in serious condition. “It could be that we will have no choice but to make the directives more stringent,” Netanyahu said. “I will not impose a lockdown on the citizens of Israel for no reason, and I will not hesitate to add further restrictions if it is necessary.” Under the new lockdown, nearly all businesses open to the public will be closed. People must re- main within one kilometre of their homes, but there are several exceptions, including shopping for food or medicine, going to work in a business that’s closed to the public, attending protests and even seeking essential pet care. Israel has reported a total of more than 175,000 cases since the outbreak began, including at least 1,169 deaths. It is now reporting around 5,000 new cases a day, one of the highest per capita infection rates in the world. Israel was among the first countries to impose sweeping lockdowns this spring, sealing its bor- ders, forcing most businesses to close and largely confining people to their homes. That succeeded in bringing the number of new cases down to only a few dozen per day in May. But then the economy abruptly reopened, and a new government was sworn in that was paralyzed by infighting. In recent months authorities have announced various restrictions only to see them ignored or reversed even as new cases soared to record levels. The occupied West Bank has followed a similar trajectory, with a spring lockdown largely con- taining its outbreak followed by a rise of cases that forced the Palestinian Authority to impose a 10- day lockdown in July. The PA has reported more than 30,000 cases in the West Bank and around 240 deaths. The Gaza Strip, which has been under an Israeli- Egyptian blockade since the Islamic militant group Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007, was initially insulated from the pandemic. But authorities detected community spread last month, and there are now more than 1,700 active cases in the impoverished territory of two million, straining its already fragile health system. At least 16 people have died. In Israel, the government has come under with- ering criticism for its response to the virus and the economic crisis triggered by the earlier lockdown. Netanyahu, who is also on trial for corruption, has been the target of weekly protests outside his of- ficial residence. Israel’s insular ultra-Orthodox community, which has a high rate of infection, has also been up in arms about the restrictions, espe- cially those targeting religious gatherings. In Tel Aviv, hundreds of people protested the renewed lockdown on Thursday, including doctors and scientists who said it would be ineffective. Dr. Amir Shahar, head of an emergency depart- ment in the city of Netanya and one of the organ- izers of the demonstration, said the lockdown is “disastrous” and would do “more harm than good.” — The Associated Press Israel returns to lockdown as virus cases mount JOSEPH KRAUSS ARIEL SCHALIT / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Police wearing face masks to protect against the corona- virus, speak to people at a check point Fri- day, the first day of a three-week lockdown, in Bnei Brak, Israel. L ONDON — Fresh nationwide lockdown re-strictions in England appear to be on the cards soon as the British government target- ed more areas Friday in an attempt to suppress a sharp spike in new coronavirus infections. With more restrictions on gatherings and other activities announced for large parts of England, there is growing speculation that the U.K. may be sliding toward a lockdown by stealth in the com- ing weeks, partly because the testing regime is struggling to cope with higher demand. “We want to avoid a national lockdown altogeth- er, that is the last line of defence,” British Health Secretary Matt Hancock told BBC radio. “It is not the proposal that’s on the table.” His comments came amid mounting speculation that the government will announce fresh curbs on the hospitality sector, such as pubs and restau- rants, potentially involving curfews — something already in place in areas facing extra lockdown restrictions. According to the BBC, the British government’s chief scientific adviser and medical officer have warned of another serious coronavirus outbreak and many more deaths by the end of October if there were no further interventions soon. Possible measures being considered under this so-called “circuit break” are asking some hospitality busi- nesses to close, or limiting opening hours, for a period — potentially two weeks. Without going into specifics, Hancock said the country has to “come together” over the com- ing weeks to get on top of the spike. He said new transmissions are largely taking place in social settings and have already led a doubling in the number of people being hospitalized with the virus every seven to eight days. The testing data are fanning fears that the coun- try with Europe’s deadliest coronavirus outbreak may be in for a second wave during the winter. Critics say the government has lost control of the virus, partly as a result of the testing woes being reported up and down the U.K. and that’s why new measures are being introduced. A weekly survey released Friday by the Office for National Statistics revealed that an average of 6,000 people in England were estimated to have been newly infected with the virus between Sept. 4 to 10, about double the level the previous week. In a separate gauge that is hobbled by the lack of testing, the government reported another 4,322 new confirmed cases in the U.K., the highest since early May. The spike, which has been largely seen among young adults, has already led to lockdown restric- tions being reimposed. Already this week, a ban on social gatherings of more than six people, in- cluding children, has come into effect for Eng- land. The other nations of the U.K. — Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland — have announced similar clampdowns on meetings. There are also more targeted restrictions across the U.K. in areas seeing acute spikes. A variety of restrictions were tightened further Friday for huge parts of the northwest of England, the Midlands and west Yorkshire in response to “major increases” in cases. The new restrictions go into effect Tuesday. And in a sign that the virus is here to stay through winter, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan can- celled the upcoming annual New Year’s Eve fire- works display. As the experience of the pandemic has shown, there’s usually a lag of a week or two between a rise in cases and hospitalizations, followed by a subse- quent lag for deaths. Hancock said the government’s strategy is to suppress the virus while keeping schools and offices open before “the cavalry that’s on the horizon of the vaccine and mass testing.” The worry is that deaths will increase marked- ly. Though the U.K. is recording far fewer deaths on a daily basis than it did earlier this year, it registered another 27 on Friday, bringing the gov- ernment’s official tally of deaths from COVID-19 to 41,732. “This is a big moment for the country,” Han- cock said. “We are seeing an acceleration in the number of cases and we are also seeing that the number of people hospitalized with coronavirus is doubling every eight days.” The sharp spike in cases, coupled with the test- ing woes that have seen people around the U.K. complaining they have been unable to book ap- pointments for tests or directed to testing centres far from their homes, has escalated talk of an- other national lockdown. Julian Tang, an honorary associate professor in respiratory sciences at the University of Leices- ter, said the various measures in place or being considered can act as a “firebreak” in stopping the spread of the virus to the more susceptible groups of the population. “But these are all incremental and each on their own or in patchy combinations may not be enough, in which case a full local lockdown may be needed to stop the spread,” he added. — The Associated Press PAN PYLAS U.K. escalating virus restrictions Targets areas with ‘major increases’ in cases KIRSTY O’CONNOR / PA VIA AP People line up Friday outside a coronavirus testing centre offering walk-in appointments in north London. A_18_Sep-19-20_FP_01.indd A18 2020-09-18 10:32 PM ;