Coronavirus Updates: US/Canada Border; Maine & New Brunswick News

BORDER UPDATE:

Closure of the U.S-Canada border will begin in earnest today as the two countries work out the details of banning non-essential travel.

Prime Minister Trudeau and President Trump announced the ban Wednesday, intended to help curtail the rapid spread of COVID-19 without disrupting the flow of goods and services on which Canadians and Americans depend.

But details are still being worked out, including exactly when the ban is to go into effect and how border agents are to distinguish between essential and non-essential travelers.

MAINE UPDATES:

Maine Gov. Janet Mills has issued an Executive Order mandating that all bars and restaurants suspend dine-in service until Midnight on March 31st.

The order also bans gatherings of more than 10 people. Maine has seen a jump to 43 confirmed or presumptive cases of the potentially deadly virus.

Hundreds more people who may have had contact with someone who is ill are in quarantine. Others are sheltering at home to avoid exposure to the coronavirus.

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention will provide an update later this morning.

NEW BRUNSWICK UPDATES:

Dr. Jennifer Russell, New Brunswick's Chief Medical Officer of Health, says three more people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the province, bringing the total number to 11. Dr. Russell reiterated the need for people to engage in social distancing practices to help slow the spread of the viral disease.

Canada's Parliament will be recalled next week to enact legislation to free up billions in financial aid for Canadians and businesses to weather the COVID-19 crisis.