Trudeau Says Canada Must 'Remain Vigilant' To Avoid A Fall Lockdown (VIDEO)

As the number of new COVID-19 cases in Canada continues to climb, the prime minister has spoken out. On Monday, Trudeau admitted the country is “not out of the woods.” To avoid a second lockdown, he urged Canadians to remain vigilant when it comes to hand-washing, social distancing and wearing masks.

On Monday, September 3, Justin Trudeau spoke with reporters about the country’s rising number of COVID-19 cases.

As spikes have been observed everywhere from Ontario to Alberta, the prime minister stressed the importance of continuing to follow public health advice amid the pandemic.

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“One of the things we’re seeing is, with numbers rising across the country, we are not out of the woods,” he told reporters.

The PM urged Canadians to continue to remain vigilant ahead of the new season by keeping a safe distance, washing hands regularly and “wearing masks an awful lot.”

He continued, “The last thing anyone wants is to go into this fall in a lockdown similar to this spring." 

"The way we can prevent that is by remaining vigilant,” Trudeau concluded.

Trudeau's comments come as COVID-19 cases continue to spike across the country.

Cities like Calgary and Ottawa have seen significant daily increases over the last few weeks, with figures almost doubling week-on-week in some cases.

September 13 marked the tenth consecutive day that the country saw over 500 new cases diagnosed within 24 hours, a climb that Dr. Theresa Tam described as “a slow and steady increase nationally.” 

Canada's top doc also confirmed last week that young people continue to be diagnosed with the illness at a higher rate than before.

She explained that outbreaks are being confirmed in places that typically "draw in this younger age demographic," such as retail venues, bars and restaurants.

In cities like Ottawa, small children are getting diagnosed with COVID-19, and cases in schools are already being reported.

In response to the rising numbers in Ontario, the province has put reopening plans on hold for the time being.

Trudeau didn’t provide any more details on a potential fall lockdown if the number of infected people continues to rise, but he encouraged Canadians to "be there for each other" going forward.