Noon Update for April 7, 2020

NANAIMO —The Prime Minister is trying to allay fears over shortages of medical equipment. Justin Trudeau says four Canadian companies are poised to begin production of 30,000 ventilators. That's a sixfold increase in the number of ventilators in Canada currently. In BC, the Minister of Health says he's not worried about our supply. Adrian Dix says BC has 620 ventilators, including 179 in the Island Health Region. Meanwhile, the United States has reversed its decision and will now allow the company 3M to export N95 masks to Canada. Trudeau says he's expecting the delivery of half a million masks from 3M tomorrow.

Statistics provided by Corrections BC shows as of April the 2nd, it has temporarily released 95 inmates from its ten correctional centers, to comply with COVID-19 distancing orders. That number includes 12 inmates from Nanaimo's correctional center and four from the Vancouver Island Regional center near Victoria. Those inmates had been serving intermittent sentences. Eight inmates who were serving non-intermittent sentences have also been released, but none is from facilities on Vancouver Island. Corrections BC does not have the power to release anyone sentenced to remand while they await trials. That is up to the courts. New inmates entering correctional centers are being isolated for two weeks, before being allowed into the general prison population. So far, there has been one case of a provincial inmate at the Okanagan detention center testing positive for COVID-19, as well as two others from the federal institution at Matsqui.

And speaking of statistics, Statistics Canada wants you to participate in a survey about what you're thinking and doing during the pandemic. Its questionnaire will gather information on the economic and social situation of Canadians, including their physical and mental health. It says the information will be used by all levels of government to "effectively assess the needs of communities and implement suitable support measures during and after the pandemic." You can find the questionnaire if you google Statistics Canada COVID survey.

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Lisa Cordasco

Senior Reporter and News Director — Lisa is responsible for creating the station's first morning news current affairs show on CHLY. She is also deeply involved in training and mentoring student and citizen journalists who volunteer their time at the station. Before joining CHLY, Lisa spent 35 years in various roles at CBC Radio, from host to reporter. Her passion for journalism and radio has led her to Nanaimo, where she intends to provide CHLY listeners with news they can use, in an alternative radio environment. Her other not-so-secret passion is costuming for any occasion.

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