8:30 – The COVID-19 coronavirus continues to get worse, with more than 4,000 deaths and nearly 130,000 cases reported worldwide. Trump instituted a travel ban on Europe Wednesday night, and the NBA suspended its season after a player tested positive. Actor Tom Hanks also has the virus, and many are starting to get very concerned. Dr. Timothy Sly, who helped manage the SARS pandemic in Toronto, says the virus has some scary characteristics, such as the longer incubation time which makes it easier to transmit, and says once community spread has begun the rate and scope of it may quickly become uncontrollable. Sly says initial containment efforts are extremely important, but emphasized that this is “no time for hysteria, just hygiene.” Sly joins Gormley to discuss the spread of the virus.
LIVE: Dr. Timothy Sly, epidemiologist and Professor in the Ryerson School of Occupational and Public Health.
9:00 – Bug’s Day… The Hour of RAGE!
10:00 – Despite a last-minute increased salary offer made by the province, Saskatchewan’s teachers are starting their work-to-rule job action this morning. According to the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF), the government is focusing on salary rather than addressing the issues of class size and class complexity. Starting today, teachers will be arriving 15 minutes before class and leaving 15 minutes after classes end, and refusing volunteer and extracurricular activities. Many students are disappointed, but the STF says the students “are paying the price for the government’s underfunding.” STF President Patrick Maze joins Gormley with an update as teachers begin their job action.
LIVE: Patrick Maze, president of the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation.
12:00 – Saskatchewan may not have any cases of COVID-19, but we may be the ones to cure the disease. Researchers at the U of S’s Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization – International Vaccine Centre have received a big funding boost to continue their investigation into the disease, and a candidate vaccine is already being tested on ferrets. If it works, the lab may continue towards human trials, though that could be as far away as a year. Dr. Volker Gerdts is the director and CEO of the vaccine centre, and he joins Gormley with the latest on their search for a cure.
LIVE: Volker Gerdts, Director/CEO of Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization – International Vaccine Centre (VIDO-InterVac).