With the latest projections warning the country could see up to 60,000 daily cases by the end of December, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addressed Canadians outside his home at Rideau Cottage; the site of his daily briefings during the first wave last spring.

”I don’t want to be here this morning.  You don’t want me to be here this morning, but here we are again.”

And with those words Trudeau urged Canadians to hunker down.

”The cases across the country are spiking massively.  We are facing a winter that’s going to drive people inside more and more, and we’re really at risk of seeing caseloads go up, hospitals get overwhelmed, and more loved ones dying.”

That’s why the prime minister says we need to do everything we can right now to slow the spread of COVID-19 and ”stop the spike in its tracks.”

Trudeau remarks follow new forecasts suggesting Canada could reach 60,000 cases a day by the end of December if we increase our number of contacts.

The projections suggest that could be limited to 20,000-a-day if we maintain our current number of personal contacts.

To get it below 10,000 we would need to limit interactions to essential activities only.

Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam says the caseload’s already surpassed the peak of the first wave last spring, and that the rise in cases is putting a strain on the healthcare system, pushing some to capacity and leading to postponement of medical procedures.

”Recently, there has been some really good news about vaccine development.  Keep this beacon of hope in mind as we all come together, apart, to do what is needed,” Dr. Tam adds.

”Right now, every effort you make as an individual matters.”