TORONTO — Dozens more deaths in long-term care homes were reported Friday as new figures indicated the extent of the economic dislocation caused by isolation measures aimed at mitigating the spread of the highly contagious COVID-19 virus.
The latest government figures showed more than seven million people had applied for the $2,000-a-month Canada Emergency Response Benefit, with the federal government having paid out $22.4 billion — close to the amount budgeted.
The emergency program is but one of several the Liberals have unveiled in recent weeks to cushion the financial fallout from fighting the spread of the new coronavirus, which has been particularly deadly for frail seniors in nursing homes.