Coronavirus: Everything you need to know in Montreal today

Every day in Canada, a lot of news regarding COVID-19 comes out nationally and locally.

And for now, we will be putting together Montreal and Canada’s top headlines daily to help digest the news in one place.

Throughout the day, you can see all the headlines in real-time here.

Top coronavirus stories for April 23, as of 5 pm ET:

Quebec announces 109 more coronavirus-related deaths as cases near 22,000

The Quebec government revealed that the province’s COVID-19-related death toll has reached 1,243 total after announcing 109 new deaths since Tuesday.

As part of his daily briefings, Premier François Legault updated the provincial numbers, stating that Quebec now has 21,838 known cases and 1,411 hospitalized patients, 207 of whom are in intensive care.

A total of 158,995 cases have turned up negative throughout Quebec.

Trudeau announces $1.1B to mobilize Canadian medical and research strategy

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced $1.1 billion for COVID-19 research and development of a vaccine, as well as treatments.

On Thursday, the prime minister said that the national research strategy will include three pillars which include research on vaccines and treatments, support for clinical trials, as well as expanding testing and modelling.

Trudeau said that $115 million will be invested in research for vaccines and treatments on top of the funding already provided by the federal government.

STM to install over 220 touchless hand sanitizers at station entrances

As the STM (Société de transport de Montréal) prepares for a gradual recovery of activities, the company announced it will be installing 224 hand sanitizer dispensers for riders at metro station entrances.

The touchless dispensers will be installed in all 126 entrance buildings and 50 public access points. The first 125 machines will be installed by May 1 with the remaining set to be put in place by mid-May

They will remain at the stations for “at least” three months, according to the transit company.

Canada Post warns of delivery delays due to “Christmas-level” parcel volumes

Canada Post is letting its customers know that the process and delivery of parcels throughout the country has entered Christmas-esque levels, akin to their “busiest weeks” of the year.

“We are working hard to respond in a responsible manner, putting the safety of our people, and the communities we serve, first,” said a statement from the Crown corporation, which functions as the primary postal operator throughout Canada.

Canada Post is advising customers to expect delays with deliveries as the company’s important safety measures mean everything is taking longer to process.

Measures include “physical distancing in facilities that were never designed for keeping people two metres apart.”

Lafleur restaurants are reopening throughout Quebec today

The quarantine just got a whole lot tastier.

Les Restaurants Lafleur has announced that as of Thursday, all of its locations are reopening. The popular Quebec fast-food chain will be open Monday to Sunday from 11 am to 7 pm.

Restaurants that offer drive-thru will be operating as such exclusively. Non-drive-thru locations are offering take-out orders inside.

50% of independent restaurants doesn’t expect to survive the pandemic: survey

A new survey from Restaurants Canada shows the sizeable impacts that the food and beverage industry in the country could be facing due to the pandemic.

The results of a survey released on April 23 show that 75% of respondents said they are either very or extremely concerned about their current level of debt.

The report states that if conditions don’t improve over the next three months, one out of every two independent restaurants does not expect to survive.

Air Canada and Delmar International team up to deliver PPE to healthcare workers

Air Canada and Delmar International Inc. have joined forces to deliver over 25 million pieces of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) from China and transport them to healthcare workers across Canada.

In a press release, Delmar International explains how the suspension of passenger flights around the world has had a significant impact on the reduction of airfreight capacity, which presents a substantial challenge in delivering protective equipment promptly.

The company praised Air Canada for responding swiftly to their pressing need. Carmen Araujo, director of national air freight for Delmar International, explained in the release that Air Canada’s ability to be resourceful and utilize passenger aircraft for freight cargo has been truly valuable.