can-border There have been more than 7 million entries into Canada since COVID-19 began. CBSA explains why Border agency says recent quarantine exemptions for U.S. CEOs were made in error Vinette said truck drivers account for the largest group of people entering Canada during the pandemic, making up about half of the total entries so far. The second-biggest group is individuals who live in border towns and have jobs on the opposite side of the border, he said. Both groups are exempt from Canada's 14-day quarantine requirement — which was designed to help stop the spread of COVID-19. macron Emmanuel Macron: Positive test prompts European leaders to self-isolate A host of European leaders are self-isolating after the French President, Emmanuel Macron, tested positive for Covid-19. Mr Macron, 42, will self-isolate for seven days while working remotely, the Elysée Palace said in a statement. The French president attended a number of high-profile events in recent days, including an EU summit. Following his diagnosis several other European leaders, including the Spanish PM, said they would self-isolate. "The President of the Republic has been diagnosed positive for Covid-19 today," the Elysée said on Thursday morning. The diagnosis was made following a "test performed at the onset of the first symptoms", the statement added. The French president's wife Brigitte Macron, who is 67, is self-isolating but has no symptoms. It is not yet known how Mr Macron caught the virus but his office said it was identifying any recent close contacts he has had.

ontario Ont. premier says 'everything is on the table' amid rising COVID-19 cases but won't commit to tighter lockdown Hospital association urges wider lockdowns as new daily cases hit 2,432 Thursday As Ontario's hospitals called for new 28-day lockdowns in the province's COVID-19 red zones Thursday amid record-high case counts and hospitalizations, Premier Doug Ford would not commit to any new shutdowns. "Ontario remains firmly caught in the grasp of a major second wave of COVID-19," the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) said in a statement. "Daily infection is now above 2,000 new cases per day. Hospitalization is increasing rapidly, as is the occupancy of intensive care units." It said that the situation has become "extremely serious." The OHA's board of directors held an emergency meeting to discuss ongoing challenges to the health-care system on Wednesday, a day before the province reported another 2,432 cases of COVID-19, the most on a single day since the pandemic began. "We are now in the holiday season and if members of the public choose to ignore public health measures and gather outside their households, the consequences risk overwhelming Ontario's hospitals," the statement continued.