TORONTO -- Canada has had nearly 720,000 total cases of COVID-19, with more than 18,200 associated deaths. Here's what else you need to know to start your day.
1. Inauguration day: With unprecedented security concerns and the need for COVID-19 safety protocols, today's inauguration of Joe Biden will be unlike any other in history.
2. Presidential pardons: U.S. President Donald Trump pardoned former chief strategist Steve Bannon as part of a flurry of clemency action in the final hours of his term that benefited more than 140 people, including rap performers, ex-members of Congress and other allies.
3. Virus variants: More variants of the novel coronavirus are being detected worldwide, ramping up fears in Canada around the increased transmission some of these variants could bring.
4. Travel restrictions: Citing the evolving situation with the identified COVID-19 variants from other countries, the prime minister is strongly urging Canadians not to travel because federal travel rules could change very quickly.
5. Long-term effects: Based on what disability advocates have seen so far, Canadian cities aren't ready for the influx of people temporarily or permanently disabled from COVID-19.
One more thing…
Above and beyond: A group of long-term care workers in rural Quebec have taken extreme measures to keep COVID-19 from entering their facility: they have each decided to move in with the residents.
