The latest news on the novel coronavirus and the illness dubbed COVID-19 (all times Eastern):
3:00 p.m.
The Manitoba government is preparing to spend about $35 million on personal protective equipment as part of a federal procurement plan to deal with the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The procurement through the Public Health Agency of Canada will include items such as gloves, face masks and shields, thermometer covers and hand sanitizer for patients and health-care workers.
Health Minister Cameron Friesen says Manitoba is the first province to sign on.
2:58 p.m.
Canadian Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault says the government plans to offer guidance to event planners about when they should consider shutting down large gatherings in light of a possible novel coronavirus outbreak.
Though there's been only limited community transmission of the virus in Canada, concert promoters, major sports leagues and festivals say they are watching carefully to decide whether they should be bringing crowds of people together.
Guilbeault says the decision will ultimately be up to individual event planners, as well as provinces and territories.
He explained some jurisdictions may be better situated to handle mass gatherings than others, and it's not up to the federal government to dictate which events should go ahead and which should be cancelled.
2:50 p.m.
Air Canada is suspending flights to and from Italy, saying Italian regulations and "ongoing health and safety concerns" prompted the decision.
The airline's last flight to Rome is scheduled to take off from Toronto today, with the final return flight departing Rome for Montreal on Wednesday.
Air Canada hopes to restart service May 1. Meanwhile, it says affected customers will be notified and offered a full refund.
In January, Canada's largest airline halted all direct flights to China — the epicentre of the virus — as it braced for a hit to revenues. Its shares have fallen about 40 per cent in the past seven weeks.
1:58 p.m.
New Brunswick's education minister has ordered all preschoolers and students travelling abroad to refrain from returning to school for two weeks in a bid to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Dominic Cardy sent a letter to parents Monday saying the precautionary measure — among the most aggressive taken by any province — also applies to school and early learning centre staff, volunteers and family members of students.
Cardy says the new rule applies to those who have returned from international travel as of March 8.
The minister has also cancelled all international school-related travel for the remainder of the school year.
12:21 p.m.
U.S. President Donald Trump says the Canadians who were on board the Grand Princess cruise ship that docked Monday in California were returned home "in a very dignified fashion."
Trump made the comments during a meeting Tuesday at the White House with health officials, cruise industry executives and members of Vice-President Mike Pence's coronavirus task force.
He thanked both Canada and the United Kingdom for their help in repatriating foreign nationals, including 228 Canadians who arrived early Tuesday at Canadian Forces Base Trenton to begin a 14-day quarantine.
Trump said the Canadians were taken "in a very dignified fashion back into Canada."
It was not clear what Trump meant by "dignified," although it may have been a response to complaints from some frustrated passengers that after weeks of being isolated in their cabins, many were in close contact with one another as they queued up to be screened.
By midday Tuesday, there were 687 active COVID-19 cases recorded in the U.S., plus 27 deaths.
12:13 p.m.
A Montreal hospital is asking its staff to limit travel to limit the spread of COVID-19.
The Sainte-Justine hospital told staff in an internal memo that they should travel only if absolutely necessary.
The hospital also asked staff to stay home from work for two weeks if they've visited certain regions, including China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Iran, India, Egypt, Japan and parts of Italy and France as well as the Seattle area.
11:38 a.m.
Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says he is in regular contact with his counterpart in Italy to try to learn from that country's experience with the novel coronavirus.
Italy has gone into total lockdown, as officials restrict travel to 60 million people to limit the spread of the virus.
The country has confirmed more than 9,000 cases of COVID-19, and has reported more than 460 deaths.
11:00 a.m.
Ontario health officials have announced one new case of the novel coronavirus.
The man in his 40s recently travelled to Switzerland and is now at home in self-isolation.
The new case brings Ontario's total number of COVID-19 cases to 36.
9:52 a.m.
Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says there were 228 Canadians on board a plane that landed at Canadian Forces Base Trenton, Ont., carrying passengers from the Grand Princess cruise ship.
The ship is now docked in Oakland after idling for several days off the coast of California.
Champagne says a handful of Canadian crew members on the ship have tested positive for the novel coronavirus and will have to stay on board.
Some Canadian passengers also stayed behind for medical reasons unrelated to the virus, and are being cared for by the California health system.
There were 237 Canadians among the 3,500 passengers and crew on board the Grand Princess.
Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version said Ontario's most recent case was a man in his 30s.
