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COVID-19: Border and Immigration Updates (Oct 16 – 22)

By October 26, 2020January 29th, 2021No Comments

Canada has reopened its border to international students. This means that our online students can apply for an Entry Visa and Study Permit to join us at our Hamilton Campus for our upcoming semester starting in January 2021, or anytime they can travel.

The Canadian Government has announced that international students may enter Canada to pursue their in-person studies:

  • with a valid Study Permit
  • starting October 20, 2020
  • If studying at a DLI (Designated Learning Institution) with an approved COVID-19 readiness plan.

Columbia international College has submitted an application to be on the DLI list and is awaiting approval.

Canada – US Border Restrictions

The Canada-U.S. land border remains closed to non-essential traffic due to the COVID-19 pandemic until at least November 21, 2020.

Covid-19 Cases Worldwide Surpassed a Landmark

The number of COVID-19 cases worldwide surpassed a landmark of 40m on October 19, and since July, the most affected countries in the world remain the US, India and Brazil.

As of October 22, more than 9.3m people have been tested in Canada, and approximately half of the tests were performed in the province of Ontario. The test rate in Canada is 250,009 per 1 million people, and 2.1% of the people tested have received a positive result.

Gradual Drop in Daily New Cases in Hamilton

For the period of October 16 to 22, the trendline shows a decrease in the daily new cases in the City of Hamilton, from the weekly peak of 37 daily new cases on October 18 to only 8 reported cases on October 22.

Most of the outbreaks in Hamilton were in long-term care homes and retirement homes, causing a spike of infection in elderly people. The city’s two newest outbreaks are in a nursing home and a retirement residence.

Data Source: Public Health Hamilton

New Cases Average Decreased in Hamilton

As the next graph shows, most of the new cases in Ontario are located in Toronto, Peel Region, and Ottawa. These areas are considered the province’s COVID-19 “hot spots” and are under modified Stage 2 restrictions that prohibit the use of indoor restaurants, gyms and movie theatres.

Children and youth appear to experience less severe symptoms of COVID-19 than older age groups Confirmed cases of elementary and secondary school-aged youth represent a small proportion of total cases. On October 22, only 12% of cases in Canada were reported in children and youth under 19 years old.

Data Source: Public Health Canada, Ontario, Toronto, Ottawa, Peel, and Hamilton

Most Affected Age Group Remains the Same: 20 to 39 Years Old

Data Source: Public Health Hamilton

Children and youth appear to experience less severe symptoms of COVID-19 than older age groups Confirmed cases of elementary and secondary school-aged youth represent a small proportion of total cases. On October 22, only 12% of cases in Canada were reported in children and youth under 19 years old.

The same pattern is found in the age group distribution of confirmed cases in the City of Hamilton. From October 13 to 22, only 16% of reported cases were in children and youth under 19 years old in Hamilton.

Data Source: Public Health Canada

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