“,”heading”:””,”fullWindow”:false,”fullBleed”:false,”showFullBleedOnMobile”:false,”headColor”:””,”type”:”html5mobile”,”textColor”:””,”mobileImageUrl”:””,”bgColor”:””,”imageUrl”:””,”registeredOnly”:false,”linkUrl”:””,”internalScroll”:false,”displayStyle”:”small-up”},”text”:”Read the full story from the Star’s Steve McKinley.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”12:27 p.m.: Quebec is reporting 17 new deaths related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including 11 in the last 24 hours. There were also 53 new cases, for a total of 54,937.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”There are 500 people in hospital, down 15 from the previous day. Of those, 52 are in intensive care.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”The province also announced today it would cease providing daily updates as of Friday, in favour of once-a-week updates every Thursday.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”A total of 5,441 people have died from the novel coronavirus in Quebec, and 23,710 have recovered.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”12:20 p.m. (updated): Florida’s Department of Health on Wednesday confirmed 5,508 additional cases of COVID-19, setting another daily total record high since the start of the pandemic. The state now has a total of 109,014 confirmed cases.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”snippet”:” “,”heading”:””,”fullWindow”:false,”fullBleed”:false,”showFullBleedOnMobile”:false,”headColor”:””,”type”:”html5mobile”,”textColor”:””,”mobileImageUrl”:””,”bgColor”:””,”imageUrl”:””,”registeredOnly”:false,”linkUrl”:””,”internalScroll”:false,”displayStyle”:”small-up”,”text”:”Previously, the highest daily total of newly confirmed cases was on Saturday, with 4,049 cases. There were also 44 new deaths announced Wednesday, raising the statewide death toll to 3,281.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”Less than half of the new cases were in South Florida. It is still unclear if any of the new deaths were in South Florida.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”On Tuesday, Miami-Dade hospitalizations hit an all-time high for the second day in a row with 818 patients, according to Miami-Dade County’s “New Normal” dashboard data. According to Tuesday’s data, 108 people were discharged and 114 people were admitted.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”While a record number of COVID-19 patients are filling Miami-Dade hospitals, with one medical center in Homestead reaching ICU capacity on Tuesday, hospitals countywide say they still have more beds available than beds filled with COVID-19 patients.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”Hospital administrators say there is also a silver lining in the growing number of new cases and hospitalizations in Florida’s hardest-hit county: The patients are younger and not as severely ill as they were during the first wave in April, and doctors and nurses have gained valuable experience in the months-long pandemic — leading to shorter hospital stays and better outcomes.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”Scientists are also still working to learn more about the virus, including how many people in the community are infected and have mild or no symptoms, which can make it difficult to determine what percentage of the cases hospitalizations represent.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”10:52 a.m.: Ontario has extended its state of emergency to July 15.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”Premier Doug Ford has said he is hopeful that will be the last extension of the emergency declaration. The motion passed the legislature this morning.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”Many of the emergency orders made under the state of emergency are expected to continue even after July 15, including bans on large gatherings.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”After the state of emergency expires, the province won’t be able to make new emergency orders, amend them, or re-enact old ones, but existing ones can be extended.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”Local medical officers of health will still have certain powers under the Health Protection and Promotion Act, which is what some have used to require masks in commercial establishments.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”Read the full story from the Star’s Rob Ferguson and Robert Benzie. “,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”snippet”:”n”,”heading”:””,”fullWindow”:false,”fullBleed”:false,”showFullBleedOnMobile”:false,”headColor”:””,”type”:”html5mobile”,”textColor”:””,”mobileImageUrl”:””,”bgColor”:””,”imageUrl”:””,”registeredOnly”:false,”linkUrl”:””,”internalScroll”:false,”displayStyle”:”small-up”,”text”:”10:37 a.m.: The Toronto International Film Festival has announced plans for this year’s annual movie marathon, which will include both physical and digital screenings, virtual red carpets and drive-ins.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”The festival’s 45th edition is slated to run Sept. 10-19 and has been reimagined to follow the protocols set by authorities to avoid the spread of COVID-19.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”Organizers say the 10-day event will have a lineup of 50 new feature films, five programs of shorts and an online industry conference.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”It will also have outdoor experiences, press conferences, interactive talks, and Q-and-As with cast and filmmakers.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”TIFF didn’t provide specific details on how such events will unfold, but it’s clear this will be a much different festival than the usual extravaganza of hundreds of films and a city crawling with stars, cinephiles and celebrity watchers.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”The films include Francis Lee’s “Ammonite,” starring Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan, Halle Berry’s directorial debut “Bruised,” and “Concrete Cowboy” by Ricky Staub, starring Idris Elba, Jharrel Jerome, and Lorraine Toussaint.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”10:35 a.m.: The New York City Marathon, the world’s largest marathon and one of the city’s biggest annual spectacles, has been cancelled this year as concerns about the spread of the coronavirus continue to dash hopes of holding large-scale events, organizers announced Wednesday.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”The race, one of the most prestigious and lucrative events of its kind, would have celebrated its 50th anniversary in November. It is one of the highlights of fall in New York and on the endurance sports calendar, attracting more than 50,000 runners, 10,000 volunteers and roughly one million fans, who line nearly every accessible yard of the 42.1-km course through the five boroughs.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”City officials and New York Road Runners, which owns and organizes the event, decided holding the race would be too risky. Public health experts have said mass events, especially those that bring people together from across the globe, will remain a danger until a treatment or a vaccine for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, is widely available.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”With the announcement, New York became the third of the six major international marathons to be canceled in 2020.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”10:30 a.m.: The Toronto International Film Festival will go ahead Sept. 10-19 but will be much smaller, with a lineup of 50 new feature films, five programs of short films, virtual red carpets, press conferences and industry talks. as well as interactive talks.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”10 a.m.: The COVID-19 outbreak has sparked “an ugly ticketing pandemic” rife with racial profiling by overzealous enforcement officers, a new Canadian Civil Liberties Association report finds.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”In a 37-page study entitled “Stay Off The Grass: COVID-19 and Law Enforcement in Canada,” the rights watchdog calculates 10,000 tickets were issued between April 1 and June 15.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”Read the full story from the Star’s Robert Benzie.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”8:10 a.m. (updated): Modified ferry service to the Toronto Islands will resume Saturday, Mayor John Tory announced Wednesday morning.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”type”:”cta”,”buttonText”:”Sign Up Now”,”buttonLink”:”/emails.html?nsrc=article-inline-covid”,”description”:”Never miss the latest news from the Star, including up-to-date coronavirus coverage, with our email newsletters”,”title”:”Get the latest in your inbox”,”text”:”Ferries will operate at 50 per cent capacity, Tory told reporters at a news conference at Jack Layton Ferry Terminal.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”Passengers will be required to bring their own masks and wear them on the boat. Visitors are being urged to buy their ferry tickets in advance online at www.toronto.ca/ferry — only 5,000 tickets a day will be sold. “,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”Passengers are also urged to plan a visit at non-peak hours if possible — 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. are the busiest times.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”Only one ferry had been operating during the COVID-19 lockdown, principally for the 700 residents of the islands.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”While washrooms on the islands will be open, Centreville Amusement Park and play structures on the islands will remain closed.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”Ferry tickets must be purchased ahead of time online and are only valid for the date selected at the time of purchase. Additional staff will be on hand at the ferry terminal to assist visitors with these new requirements.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”Read the full story from the Star’s Francine Kopun.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”7:28 a.m. Oxford University said testing for coronavirus infection could become quicker and more accurate, following the launch of a multicenter national program of research to evaluate how new diagnostic tests perform in hospitals, general practices and care homes.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”The COVID-19 National DiagnOstic Research and Evaluation Platform, or CONDOR, will create a single national route for evaluating new diagnostic tests in hospitals and in community healthcare settings, according to a statement on the university’s website on Tuesday morning.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”The research program seeks to bring together experts who are “highly experienced in evaluating diagnostic tests and generating the robust evidence required” for a test to be used in the U.K.’s National Health Service statement.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”Jointly led by the University of Oxford and the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, the program will put the many tests developed by the life sciences industry to either detect current coronavirus infection or to find out if someone has previously been infected through their paces in hospital, general practice, and care home environments.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”7:26 a.m.: New virus cases declined Wednesday in China and its capital, Beijing, where a roughly two-week spike appears to be firmly on the wane.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”A total of 12 cases were reported nationwide, compared to 22 the day before. Beijing had seven cases, down from 13. There were two cases in neighbouring Hebei province and three that were brought in from abroad.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”No new deaths were reported and 359 people remained in treatment for COVID-19, with another 118 in monitoring and isolation for testing positive while showing no symptoms or for being suspected cases.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”China has reported 4,634 deaths from 83,430 cases since the virus was first detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”Beijing’s ongoing outbreak has topped 250 cases, virtually all linked to the city’s biggest wholesale market, and led to lockdowns of some neighbourhoods and the closing of recently re-opened schools.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”7 a.m.: Sicily’s governor says 28 migrants who were rescued at sea have tested positive for the coronavirus, confirming a new complication in Italy’s efforts to manage waves of migrants smuggled across the Mediterranean from Africa.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”The migrants were being held on a ship off Porto Empedocle where they’re taken to quarantine after being rescued.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”Sicily Governor Nello Musumeci said in a Facebook post Wednesday that the positive tests confirmed that he was right to demand special at-sea quarantine measures for migrants to prevent new clusters from forming in Italy, the onetime European epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”The positive tests come as an Italian parliamentary commission is visiting Porto Empedocle precisely to check on migrant and health care issues.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”type”:”relatedStories”,”relatedStories”:[],”text”:”Summertime has traditionally been peak season for migrant smugglers operating in lawless Libya, and officials have predicted an increase in efforts to reach Europe with the easing of the health emergency in Italy and the resumption of activities of humanitarian rescue ships in the Mediterranean.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”6:10 a.m.: You can finally get a haircut, eat at a restaurant patio, or visit malls in Toronto and Peel Region for the first time in 13 weeks on Wednesday as they join the majority of Ontario in entering Stage 2 of the province’s reopening plan. “,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”The province announced Monday that more businesses and services will be allowed to open with appropriate public health measures in place. “,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”Restaurants and bars will be open for delivery, takeout and outdoor dining only, according to the City of Toronto. Shopping malls will be open, but you’ll have to go elsewhere to enjoy the food court as dining spaces will be prohibited. “,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”Personal care services like barber shops, hair styling, nails, tattoos and esthetic services will be allowed to open. Though you will have to hold off on face-related pampering like facials and beard trims a while longer. “,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”Recreational and cultural spaces are also allowed to reopen, including water recreational services like indoor and outdoor swimming pools and splash pads. Community centres will reopen for “a very limited number of modified uses,” the City says, including certain outdoor sports and recreational activities. Campgrounds, museums, galleries, aquariums, zoos and heritage institutions are also reopening. As are libraries with limited on-site services, film and television production, tours and guide services.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”6:05 a.m.: New coronavirus cases in the U.S. have surged to their highest level in two months and are now back to where they were at the peak of the outbreak.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”The U.S. on Tuesday reported 34,700 new cases of the virus, according to a tally compiled by Johns Hopkins University that was published Wednesday. There have been only two previous days that the U.S. has reported more cases: April 9 and April 24, when a record 36,400 cases were logged.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”New cases in the U.S. have been surging for more than a week after trending down for more than six weeks. While early hot spots like New York and New Jersey have seen cases steadily decrease, the virus has been hitting the south and west. Several states on Tuesday set single-day records, including Arizona, California, Mississippi, Nevada and Texas.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”Cases were also surging in other parts of the world. India reported a record daily increase of nearly 16,000 new cases. Mexico, where testing rates have been low, also set a record with more than 6,200 new cases.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”But China appears to have tamed a new outbreak of the virus in Beijing, once again demonstrating its ability to quickly mobilize vast resources by testing nearly 2.5 million people in 11 days. “,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”Tuesday 7 p.m.: The owner of a farm where some 199 migrant workers have tested positive for COVID-19 says his operation assiduously followed public health guidelines to prevent an outbreak, and has previously been lauded for providing quality accommodation to migrant workers.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”In an interview with the Star on Tuesday, Scotlynn Growers president Scott Biddle said the local health department has “always used us as an example for what other farmers should be doing.””,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”“We’re building housing for another hundred men this year,” Biddle told the Star, adding that the new accommodation will be larger than what’s currently required by Health Canada to account for any changes to federally-mandated housing standards.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”The comments come after a Star investigation revealed a history of complaints at Scotlynn by Mexican migrant workers about substandard housing and other concerns.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”In reports to the Mexican Ministry of Labour between 2016 and 2018, workers described overcrowded bunkhouses, bedbug infestations, and sometimes failure to receive timely medical attention. Scotlynn received 33 complaints over the two year period, the highest number of any Canadian farm. “,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”On Saturday, 55-year-old father of four Juan López Chaparro, who worked at Scotlynn, died after fighting COVID-19 for three weeks.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”Read the full story from Sara Mojtehedzadeh here.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”Tuesday 6:50 p.m.: Canada could avoid a second wave of the coronavirus if it learns the lessons of South Korea and Taiwan and attacks testing, tracing and treatment of COVID-19 cases and practices “dynamic distancing” from the get-go, MPs heard Tuesday.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”That means as the economy reopens, communities must be ready to reimpose physical distancing and socially restrictive measures periodically with surges in disease activity in order to contain outbreaks and allow economic revitalization to continue, Asaph Young Chun, head of Korea’s Statistics Research Institute, told the Commons health committee.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”Those “nonpharmaceutical” interventions are the best “exit strategy” from the COVID-19 lockdowns, he said.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”Two American health experts said South Korea and Taiwan showed the path for other countries to follow, but they warned Canada against reopening too quickly even to its neighbours, the United States.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”Read the full story from Tonda MacCharles here.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”text”:”-“,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”type”:”textBreakPoint”,”insertAt”:”contentEndBreakPoint”,”text”:”Click here for more news from Tuesday.”,”type”:”text”,”isParagraph”:true,”type”:”shareBar”,”type”:”trustbar”],”assetTags”:[“smg_canada”,”covid_updates”,”covid_19″,”coronavirus”,”canada”,”bn1″,”covid”,”kmi2″,”smg2_news”,”coronarolling”,”coronafree”],”seoKeywords”:”coronavirus,COVID-19,covid,Canada,coronarolling,coronafree,covid updates,BN1,KMI2,smg_canada,smg2_news”,”excludeInRecommendations”:false,”promo”:[],”related”:”pubdays”:0,”strategy”:0,”speciallabel”:”name”:”Free Digital Access”,”seoHead”:”Several players and staff members on the Toronto Blue Jays have tested positive ; Windsor-Essex gets green light to go to Stage 2; Ferry service to Toronto Islands resumes Saturday”,”headline”:”Several players and staff members on the Toronto Blue Jays have tested positive ; Windsor-Essex gets green light to go to Stage 2; Ferry service to Toronto Islands resumes Saturday”,”subheadline”:”New coronavirus cases in the U.S. have surged to their highest level in two months and back to where they were at the outbreak’s peak.”,”removeInterestedInFlag”:true,”canonicalUrl”:”https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2020/06/24/coronavirus-covid-19-updates-canada-toronto-gta-june-24.html”,”seoDescription”:”New coronavirus cases in the U.S. have surged to their highest level in two months and back to where they were at the outbreak’s peak.”,”storytag”:”Updated”,”publishedepoch”:1592993700000,”lastmodifiedepoch”:1593030801419,”abstractVisible”:false,”relatedLinks”:[],”paywallMode”:”outofwall”,”storyuuid”:”3c2d12e7-a05a-4295-9ff7-50ff70848dad”,”republish”:true,”slideshowid”:”B881171393Z.1″,”lastmodified”:”06 24 2020″,”lastreplicated”:”4:33 PM, Wed., June 24, 2020″,”readtime”:13,”breadcrumbs”:[“label”:”News”,”relurl”:”/news”,”url”:”https://www.thestar.com/content/thestar/news.html”,”label”:”Canada”,”relurl”:”/news/canada”,”url”:”https://www.thestar.com/content/thestar/news/canada.html”],”authors”:[“author”:”Star staff”,”photo”:,”author”:”wire services”,”photo”:],”paywall”:true,”ogUrlMetatag”:”https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2020/06/24/coronavirus-covid-19-updates-canada-toronto-gta-june-24.html”,”numOfParagraphs”:100,”liftigImage”:”captionPosition”:”overlay”,”fullWindowMainart”:false,”type”:”image”,”imageid”:”GL2VSID8.3″,”origImageSize”:”1200×800″,”cropthumb”:”0,0,1200,800″,”lastmodified”:1593030801684,”forceoriginal”:false,”caption”:”Queen West Barber Shop is cutting hair again as Toronto joins the rest of Ontario in phase two of reopening during the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto. 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By Star staff
wire services

Wed., June 24, 2020timer13 min. read

The latest coronavirus news from Canada and around the world Wednesday. This file will be updated throughout the day. Web links to longer stories if available.

4:25 p.m.: WestJet Airlines Ltd. says it will lay off 3,333 employees as part of major restructuring amid the coronavirus pandemic that has devastated the travel industry.

The company says it will consolidate call centre activity in Alberta, restructure its office and management staff and contract out operations at all but four of the 38 Canadian airports where it operates.

3:45 p.m. : Several players and staff members on the Toronto Blue Jays have tested positive for COVID-19, a source has told The Canadian Press.

The source spoke on condition of anonymity because the team has not officially announced the positive cases.

The developments come a week before the start of training camp ahead of a recently approved 60-game regular season. The Blue Jays shut down their spring training complex last Friday in Dunedin, Fla., after a player presented symptoms consistent with the virus.

2:39 p.m.: Manitoba RCMP say they’ve been called for a second time this month because an airline passenger was not wearing a mask while flying.

The Mounties say they responded to a report Monday night of an unruly passenger on a flight from Vancouver to Winnipeg, and were told that the man had refused directions to wear a protective mask.

They say a 39-year-old Winnipeg man is facing a charge of refusing to comply with flight crew instructions, which carries a maximum fine of $5,000.

On June 14, a flight from Vancouver to Toronto was diverted to Winnipeg due to an alleged unruly passenger.

RCMP said a 60-year-old man from Surrey, B.C. was charged after lighting a cigarette during the flight and refusing to wear a mask.

The accused in that case was remanded in custody on charges including mischief, smoking onboard an aircraft and refusing to comply with flight crew instructions.

1:36 p.m.: Most of the region of Windsor-Essex will be allowed to move into Stage 2 of the province’s reopening plan after originally being held back due to COVID-19 farm outbreaks, Premier Doug Ford announced Wednesday.

The only exceptions will be the communities of Leamington and Kingsville, which have seen large numbers of cases among migrant workers.

Ford said he has a plan to address the situation on farms, while also allowing COVID-19 positive but asymptomatic workers to continue on the job, with safety protocols in place.

“This is one of (farmers’) busiest times of the year,” Ford said. “They need the extra help and unlike other professions, most of it is outdoors and isolated.”

12:39 p.m.: The four Atlantic provinces have announced plans to ease interprovincial travel restrictions, creating a so-called “bubble” as the region has reported relatively few new COVID-19 infections in recent weeks.

As of July 3, residents of Atlantic Canada will be allowed to travel within the region without having to self-isolate for two weeks when arriving in another province.

Visitors from provinces and territories outside the region will still be required to self-isolate for 14 days and adhere to the local entry requirements in each of the four jurisdictions.

However, once the self-isolation period has passed, these visitors will also be allowed to travel within the Atlantic region.

Each of the four provinces will choose its own process for tracking and monitoring travellers.

The decision to ease travel restrictions was guided by each of the four provinces’ chief medical officers of health, who are asking travellers to adhere to ongoing public health directives.

Read the full story from the Star’s Steve McKinley.

12:27 p.m.: Quebec is reporting 17 new deaths related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including 11 in the last 24 hours. There were also 53 new cases, for a total of 54,937.

There are 500 people in hospital, down 15 from the previous day. Of those, 52 are in intensive care.

The province also announced today it would cease providing daily updates as of Friday, in favour of once-a-week updates every Thursday.

A total of 5,441 people have died from the novel coronavirus in Quebec, and 23,710 have recovered.

12:20 p.m. (updated): Florida’s Department of Health on Wednesday confirmed 5,508 additional cases of COVID-19, setting another daily total record high since the start of the pandemic. The state now has a total of 109,014 confirmed cases.

Previously, the highest daily total of newly confirmed cases was on Saturday, with 4,049 cases. There were also 44 new deaths announced Wednesday, raising the statewide death toll to 3,281.

Less than half of the new cases were in South Florida. It is still unclear if any of the new deaths were in South Florida.

On Tuesday, Miami-Dade hospitalizations hit an all-time high for the second day in a row with 818 patients, according to Miami-Dade County’s “New Normal” dashboard data. According to Tuesday’s data, 108 people were discharged and 114 people were admitted.

While a record number of COVID-19 patients are filling Miami-Dade hospitals, with one medical center in Homestead reaching ICU capacity on Tuesday, hospitals countywide say they still have more beds available than beds filled with COVID-19 patients.

Hospital administrators say there is also a silver lining in the growing number of new cases and hospitalizations in Florida’s hardest-hit county: The patients are younger and not as severely ill as they were during the first wave in April, and doctors and nurses have gained valuable experience in the months-long pandemic — leading to shorter hospital stays and better outcomes.

Scientists are also still working to learn more about the virus, including how many people in the community are infected and have mild or no symptoms, which can make it difficult to determine what percentage of the cases hospitalizations represent.

10:52 a.m.: Ontario has extended its state of emergency to July 15.

Premier Doug Ford has said he is hopeful that will be the last extension of the emergency declaration. The motion passed the legislature this morning.

Many of the emergency orders made under the state of emergency are expected to continue even after July 15, including bans on large gatherings.

After the state of emergency expires, the province won’t be able to make new emergency orders, amend them, or re-enact old ones, but existing ones can be extended.

Local medical officers of health will still have certain powers under the Health Protection and Promotion Act, which is what some have used to require masks in commercial establishments.

Read the full story from the Star’s Rob Ferguson and Robert Benzie.

10:37 a.m.: The Toronto International Film Festival has announced plans for this year’s annual movie marathon, which will include both physical and digital screenings, virtual red carpets and drive-ins.

The festival’s 45th edition is slated to run Sept. 10-19 and has been reimagined to follow the protocols set by authorities to avoid the spread of COVID-19.

Organizers say the 10-day event will have a lineup of 50 new feature films, five programs of shorts and an online industry conference.

It will also have outdoor experiences, press conferences, interactive talks, and Q-and-As with cast and filmmakers.

TIFF didn’t provide specific details on how such events will unfold, but it’s clear this will be a much different festival than the usual extravaganza of hundreds of films and a city crawling with stars, cinephiles and celebrity watchers.

The films include Francis Lee’s “Ammonite,” starring Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan, Halle Berry’s directorial debut “Bruised,” and “Concrete Cowboy” by Ricky Staub, starring Idris Elba, Jharrel Jerome, and Lorraine Toussaint.

10:35 a.m.: The New York City Marathon, the world’s largest marathon and one of the city’s biggest annual spectacles, has been cancelled this year as concerns about the spread of the coronavirus continue to dash hopes of holding large-scale events, organizers announced Wednesday.

The race, one of the most prestigious and lucrative events of its kind, would have celebrated its 50th anniversary in November. It is one of the highlights of fall in New York and on the endurance sports calendar, attracting more than 50,000 runners, 10,000 volunteers and roughly one million fans, who line nearly every accessible yard of the 42.1-km course through the five boroughs.

City officials and New York Road Runners, which owns and organizes the event, decided holding the race would be too risky. Public health experts have said mass events, especially those that bring people together from across the globe, will remain a danger until a treatment or a vaccine for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, is widely available.

With the announcement, New York became the third of the six major international marathons to be canceled in 2020.

10:30 a.m.: The Toronto International Film Festival will go ahead Sept. 10-19 but will be much smaller, with a lineup of 50 new feature films, five programs of short films, virtual red carpets, press conferences and industry talks. as well as interactive talks.

10 a.m.: The COVID-19 outbreak has sparked “an ugly ticketing pandemic” rife with racial profiling by overzealous enforcement officers, a new Canadian Civil Liberties Association report finds.

In a 37-page study entitled “Stay Off The Grass: COVID-19 and Law Enforcement in Canada,” the rights watchdog calculates 10,000 tickets were issued between April 1 and June 15.

Read the full story from the Star’s Robert Benzie.

8:10 a.m. (updated): Modified ferry service to the Toronto Islands will resume Saturday, Mayor John Tory announced Wednesday morning.

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Ferries will operate at 50 per cent capacity, Tory told reporters at a news conference at Jack Layton Ferry Terminal.

Passengers will be required to bring their own masks and wear them on the boat. Visitors are being urged to buy their ferry tickets in advance online at www.toronto.ca/ferry — only 5,000 tickets a day will be sold.

Passengers are also urged to plan a visit at non-peak hours if possible — 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. are the busiest times.

Only one ferry had been operating during the COVID-19 lockdown, principally for the 700 residents of the islands.

While washrooms on the islands will be open, Centreville Amusement Park and play structures on the islands will remain closed.

Ferry tickets must be purchased ahead of time online and are only valid for the date selected at the time of purchase. Additional staff will be on hand at the ferry terminal to assist visitors with these new requirements.

Read the full story from the Star’s Francine Kopun.

7:28 a.m. Oxford University said testing for coronavirus infection could become quicker and more accurate, following the launch of a multicenter national program of research to evaluate how new diagnostic tests perform in hospitals, general practices and care homes.

The COVID-19 National DiagnOstic Research and Evaluation Platform, or CONDOR, will create a single national route for evaluating new diagnostic tests in hospitals and in community healthcare settings, according to a statement on the university’s website on Tuesday morning.

The research program seeks to bring together experts who are “highly experienced in evaluating diagnostic tests and generating the robust evidence required” for a test to be used in the U.K.’s National Health Service statement.

Jointly led by the University of Oxford and the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, the program will put the many tests developed by the life sciences industry to either detect current coronavirus infection or to find out if someone has previously been infected through their paces in hospital, general practice, and care home environments.

7:26 a.m.: New virus cases declined Wednesday in China and its capital, Beijing, where a roughly two-week spike appears to be firmly on the wane.

A total of 12 cases were reported nationwide, compared to 22 the day before. Beijing had seven cases, down from 13. There were two cases in neighbouring Hebei province and three that were brought in from abroad.

No new deaths were reported and 359 people remained in treatment for COVID-19, with another 118 in monitoring and isolation for testing positive while showing no symptoms or for being suspected cases.

China has reported 4,634 deaths from 83,430 cases since the virus was first detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year.

Beijing’s ongoing outbreak has topped 250 cases, virtually all linked to the city’s biggest wholesale market, and led to lockdowns of some neighbourhoods and the closing of recently re-opened schools.

7 a.m.: Sicily’s governor says 28 migrants who were rescued at sea have tested positive for the coronavirus, confirming a new complication in Italy’s efforts to manage waves of migrants smuggled across the Mediterranean from Africa.

The migrants were being held on a ship off Porto Empedocle where they’re taken to quarantine after being rescued.

Sicily Governor Nello Musumeci said in a Facebook post Wednesday that the positive tests confirmed that he was right to demand special at-sea quarantine measures for migrants to prevent new clusters from forming in Italy, the onetime European epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The positive tests come as an Italian parliamentary commission is visiting Porto Empedocle precisely to check on migrant and health care issues.

Summertime has traditionally been peak season for migrant smugglers operating in lawless Libya, and officials have predicted an increase in efforts to reach Europe with the easing of the health emergency in Italy and the resumption of activities of humanitarian rescue ships in the Mediterranean.

6:10 a.m.: You can finally get a haircut, eat at a restaurant patio, or visit malls in Toronto and Peel Region for the first time in 13 weeks on Wednesday as they join the majority of Ontario in entering Stage 2 of the province’s reopening plan.

The province announced Monday that more businesses and services will be allowed to open with appropriate public health measures in place.

Restaurants and bars will be open for delivery, takeout and outdoor dining only, according to the City of Toronto. Shopping malls will be open, but you’ll have to go elsewhere to enjoy the food court as dining spaces will be prohibited.

Personal care services like barber shops, hair styling, nails, tattoos and esthetic services will be allowed to open. Though you will have to hold off on face-related pampering like facials and beard trims a while longer.

Recreational and cultural spaces are also allowed to reopen, including water recreational services like indoor and outdoor swimming pools and splash pads. Community centres will reopen for “a very limited number of modified uses,” the City says, including certain outdoor sports and recreational activities. Campgrounds, museums, galleries, aquariums, zoos and heritage institutions are also reopening. As are libraries with limited on-site services, film and television production, tours and guide services.

6:05 a.m.: New coronavirus cases in the U.S. have surged to their highest level in two months and are now back to where they were at the peak of the outbreak.

The U.S. on Tuesday reported 34,700 new cases of the virus, according to a tally compiled by Johns Hopkins University that was published Wednesday. There have been only two previous days that the U.S. has reported more cases: April 9 and April 24, when a record 36,400 cases were logged.

New cases in the U.S. have been surging for more than a week after trending down for more than six weeks. While early hot spots like New York and New Jersey have seen cases steadily decrease, the virus has been hitting the south and west. Several states on Tuesday set single-day records, including Arizona, California, Mississippi, Nevada and Texas.

Cases were also surging in other parts of the world. India reported a record daily increase of nearly 16,000 new cases. Mexico, where testing rates have been low, also set a record with more than 6,200 new cases.

But China appears to have tamed a new outbreak of the virus in Beijing, once again demonstrating its ability to quickly mobilize vast resources by testing nearly 2.5 million people in 11 days.

Tuesday 7 p.m.: The owner of a farm where some 199 migrant workers have tested positive for COVID-19 says his operation assiduously followed public health guidelines to prevent an outbreak, and has previously been lauded for providing quality accommodation to migrant workers.

In an interview with the Star on Tuesday, Scotlynn Growers president Scott Biddle said the local health department has “always used us as an example for what other farmers should be doing.”

“We’re building housing for another hundred men this year,” Biddle told the Star, adding that the new accommodation will be larger than what’s currently required by Health Canada to account for any changes to federally-mandated housing standards.

The comments come after a Star investigation revealed a history of complaints at Scotlynn by Mexican migrant workers about substandard housing and other concerns.

In reports to the Mexican Ministry of Labour between 2016 and 2018, workers described overcrowded bunkhouses, bedbug infestations, and sometimes failure to receive timely medical attention. Scotlynn received 33 complaints over the two year period, the highest number of any Canadian farm.

On Saturday, 55-year-old father of four Juan López Chaparro, who worked at Scotlynn, died after fighting COVID-19 for three weeks.

Read the full story from Sara Mojtehedzadeh here.

Tuesday 6:50 p.m.: Canada could avoid a second wave of the coronavirus if it learns the lessons of South Korea and Taiwan and attacks testing, tracing and treatment of COVID-19 cases and practices “dynamic distancing” from the get-go, MPs heard Tuesday.

That means as the economy reopens, communities must be ready to reimpose physical distancing and socially restrictive measures periodically with surges in disease activity in order to contain outbreaks and allow economic revitalization to continue, Asaph Young Chun, head of Korea’s Statistics Research Institute, told the Commons health committee.

Those “nonpharmaceutical” interventions are the best “exit strategy” from the COVID-19 lockdowns, he said.

Two American health experts said South Korea and Taiwan showed the path for other countries to follow, but they warned Canada against reopening too quickly even to its neighbours, the United States.

Read the full story from Tonda MacCharles here.

–

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Court records show the pleas were filed Monday morning.

RELATED: Blue Earth Teen Pleads Not Guilty to Aiding and Abetting in Felony Assault

As part of a plea agreement, Dalton Lee Nagel, 18, pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting assault-third-degree substantial bodily harm, a felony, and criminal sexual conduct-fifth degree-nonconsensual contact, a gross misdemeanor.

Nagel had pleaded not guilty to the aiding and abetting charge back in March. The fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct charge was added Monday.

Sentencing is scheduled for July 9. Tonya and Dale Hurley, Colin’s parents, were in court Monday to see Nagel plead guilty.

“Obviously we knew and have always known the truth, but we needed to hear it out of his mouth,” Tonya said.

“Ever since this happened, people have tried to deny it, or minimize it, or ‘this didn’t happen,’ or ‘that didn’t happen,’ or even justify what happened, and now there is no justification,” Dale added.

Wyatt Eugene Tungland, of Frost, is charged with third-degree assault causing substantial bodily harm and aiding and abetting third-degree assault – both felonies. His next court appearance is scheduled for July 27.

Two juveniles allegedly involved were also charged with third-degree assault and aiding and abetting. 

The Hurley’s said the incident and its aftermath have had a profound effect on their family. Dale and Colin moved to Nebraska in January, citing backlash from some parts of the Blue Earth community. Tonya plans to make the move as well later this week.

“It feels so much more like my son was the one that was punished, and our family,” she said.

RELATED: Blue Earth Student Assault Divides Community; School Board Works to Build Trust

According to the original criminal complaint, police were notified Tungland had assaulted Colin Hurley, a former teammate on the Blue Earth Area football team, allegedly knocking him unconscious at a party in Winnebago on or about Oct. 19 of last year. Police interviewed several juveniles and created a list of persons of interest. 

Witnesses told police Tungland reportedly punched Hurley while Nagel and two others allegedly held him down. 

Hurley told police he had been in a fight with one of the juveniles, who had held him down prior to the fight. He told investigators he was attacked, pushed down and punched in the face at the party before he became unconscious, according to the criminal complaint.

Hurley showed up to football practice with his face swollen and bruised, the complaint says. He told police the juvenile with whom he was in a fight showed him a video of the attack and there was more to it. 

Hurley’s father said he has moved his son to Nebraska, telling KSTP his family just couldn’t get back to normal following the incident.

Canadian police have charged Toronto Blue Jays baseball pitcher Roberto Osuna with assault.

Toronto authorities have confirmed they charged the 23-year-old major league baseball player on Tuesday and that he will appear in court on 18 June.

Police would not provide any further details with regards to the assault charge.

Mr Osuna has since been released from police custody and has been placed on administrative leave by the league.

In a statement sent to the Canadian Press, Major League Baseball (MLB) said it “takes all the allegations of this nature very seriously”.

“We are investigating the circumstances in accordance with the joint MLB-MLBPA (Major League Baseball Players’ Association) Domestic Violence Policy.”

The joint policy by the league and the players’ association came into force in August 2015.

In a statement, the team said they are aware of the incident and fully support the decision by the office of MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred to place Mr Osuna on leave.

“We are taking the matter extremely seriously, as the type of conduct associated with this incident is not reflective of our values as an organisation,” the team said.

Mr Osuna, originally from Juan Jose Rios, Mexico, has been with the Blue Jays for four seasons, since 2015.

The team had planned to give away t-shirts bearing the name of the closing pitcher to fans on Thursday during a game with the Seattle Mariners.

A few seconds after addressing the media on the Rogers Centre infield Tuesday afternoon, Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins put his head down and sighed.

“Tough day,” he said quietly.

It was that.

Hours before, in the wee hours of Tuesday morning in fact, Jays’ closer Roberto Osuna was arrested and charged with assault and has, temporarily at least, left the team.

As first reported in the Toronto Sun

, the 23-year-old is scheduled to appear in court on June 18 and will appear at Old City Hall. A source close to the Toronto police said the charge is the result of a domestic incident, reportedly involving his girlfriend.

In a release, the Blue Jays said: “We are aware of the incident involving Roberto and fully support the decision by the Commissioner’s Office to place him on administrative leave. We are taking the matter extremely seriously, as the type of conduct associated with this incident is not reflective of our values as an organization. As this remains an ongoing investigation by Toronto Police, the club will not comment further on the matter.”

Atkins, though, did speak prior to the Jays’ game against the Seattle Mariners.

“Obviously, as it relates to the investigation, there’s very little we can comment on,” said Atkins. “As it relates to the allegations, to say that we don’t condone things of this nature is saying it very lightly. As an organization, it’s difficult to come up with words as to how seriously we are taking it.”

Jays manager John Gibbons talked to Osuna Tuesday morning, but wouldn’t comment as to how the righthander was doing.

“This is our profession,” said Gibbons. “But you’re taking about life here. Not just his life, but other people involved, which far out-weighs (baseball) stuff.

“You’re dealing with human beings, regardless of walk of life,” Gibbons added. “Hopefully there’s nothing there. I love the kid, not for what he’s done for us on the field, but because who he is and my relationship with him over the years. But really in society … there’s got to be a zero tolerance policy. You’ve got to protect the vulnerable and those who can’t protect themselves (so much). But hopefully when it’s all said and done, when he’s back with us, it’s behind him.”

When asked by a reporter how Osuna was holding up, Gibbons snapped: “That’s none of your business. Is that your business?”

The Jays recalled right-handed pitcher Jake Petricka from Buffalo to fill the roster spot.

Prior to his arrest, the Blue Jays had planned to host a Roberto Osuna T-shirt promotion at the Rogers Centre for the team’s game against the Mariners on Thursday night. That won’t happen now.

In terms of how long he may be out, Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association announced an agreement on Aug. 21, 2015 on a Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy to cover Major League players.

Under the policy, MLB may place a player accused of domestic violence, sexual assault or child abuse on paid administrative leave for up to seven days while the allegations are investigated before making a disciplinary decision. The agreement contains procedures for a player to immediately challenge that placement before the Arbitration Panel.

“Basically the seven days is a default, it could be that he’s active before that or it could be that it is extended depending on the investigation, whether that turns into more,” said Atkins. “What we’ve seen over the last couple of years is Major League Baseball has taken very strong stances on situations like this one. The punishments have been strong in cases of guilty and not guilty. We support (MLB) in that effort, I appreciate and respect everything they’ve done to not just heighten awareness but to understand that this is much more than baseball, is much bigger than just coming out here and trying to beat the Seattle Mariners.”

In 15 appearances for the Jays this season, Osuna has a 2.93 ERA with nine saves. His absence leaves a huge void for a team trying to make it into the playoffs this season.

“Naturally, he’s our guy down there. But you just deal with it.” said Gibbons.

“We’ll see how the game develops, see what it takes to get to that ninth inning,” the manager added when asked who will close in Osuna’s absence. “We’ve got a few guys who can do it. (Ryan) Tepera could do it. (Seung-hwan) Oh could do. Ax (John Axford) could even do it. We still feel pretty good about what’s down there.”

Oh and Axford have closed at the MLB level before, and both are having good seasons.

“That’s big,” Gibbons said.

Last season was a trying one for Osuna.

The native of Juan Jose Rios, Mexico finished the season with 39 saves, a 3.38 ERA, a 3-4 record and 83 strikeouts in 64 innings and was named to the all-star team. He also recorded 10 blown saves, the most in the majors and the third most in club history. He also suffered from undisclosed personal issues and left the team for a short while in September because he had just become a father.

SBuffery@postmedia.com

Twitter @beezersun

Port Elizabeth – The case against a 19-year-old Blue Bulls rugby player, charged with rape and robbery, was postponed in the New Brighton Magistrate’s Court in the Eastern Cape on Tuesday, pending a decision from the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP). 

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Tsepo Ndwalaza said that this was standard procedure in which the NPA would decide whether or not to prosecute the rugby player on charges of rape and robbery. 

The former Grey High School pupil, who cannot be named until he has formally pleaded, is facing charges after an 18-year-old woman opened a case against him in December last year.The alleged incident happened after a night out in KwaMagxasi in Port Elizabeth. 

He was at court on Tuesday, supported by a host of family members. The rugby player, who was released on bail of R10 000 last month, intends to plead not guilty to the charges and alleges that the woman’s motive for opening a case against him was as a result of her stealing his wallet and cellphone. 

He previously claimed that the pair did have sex, but that it was consensual. 

According to the State, it was the defence’s submission during the bail hearing that the woman had consumed alcohol on the night of December 27, 2017, with the State charging that she was raped early the next morning. The State believes that the woman could not have consented to sexual intercourse if she was under the influence of alcohol. The State further contends that on the night of the alleged incident, the complainant and the player had attended a party at a flat in Central. 

The woman’s statement to police details that the player and another person drove the woman home. At some stage the athlete needed to relieve himself. When the car stopped the woman decided to walk home, she claimed that the rugby player came from behind, tripped and dragged her into the bushes where he raped her. 

However, the defence said it was in possession of a voice recording where the woman could be heard saying that she got out of the vehicle herself and walked home and there was no mention in these recordings that she was dragged. 

The defence believes that if the matter goes to trial, the woman will be confronted with material contradictions. According to evidence before court, in the hours before the alleged attack, witnesses had seen the woman kissing, hugging and fondling the athlete. They also noted that the woman had consumed alcohol and substantial amounts of cannabis. 

The case was postponed until May 10 for further investigation. 

African News Agency/ANA

Port Elizabeth – The case against a 19-year-old Blue Bulls rugby player, charged with rape and robbery, was postponed in the New Brighton Magistrate’s Court in the Eastern Cape on Tuesday, pending a decision from the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP). 

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Tsepo Ndwalaza said that this was standard procedure in which the NPA would decide whether or not to prosecute the rugby player on charges of rape and robbery. 

The former Grey High School pupil, who cannot be named until he has formally pleaded, is facing charges after an 18-year-old woman opened a case against him in December last year.The alleged incident happened after a night out in KwaMagxasi in Port Elizabeth. 

He was at court on Tuesday, supported by a host of family members. The rugby player, who was released on bail of R10 000 last month, intends to plead not guilty to the charges and alleges that the woman’s motive for opening a case against him was as a result of her stealing his wallet and cellphone. 

He previously claimed that the pair did have sex, but that it was consensual. 

According to the State, it was the defence’s submission during the bail hearing that the woman had consumed alcohol on the night of December 27, 2017, with the State charging that she was raped early the next morning. The State believes that the woman could not have consented to sexual intercourse if she was under the influence of alcohol. The State further contends that on the night of the alleged incident, the complainant and the player had attended a party at a flat in Central. 

The woman’s statement to police details that the player and another person drove the woman home. At some stage the athlete needed to relieve himself. When the car stopped the woman decided to walk home, she claimed that the rugby player came from behind, tripped and dragged her into the bushes where he raped her. 

However, the defence said it was in possession of a voice recording where the woman could be heard saying that she got out of the vehicle herself and walked home and there was no mention in these recordings that she was dragged. 

The defence believes that if the matter goes to trial, the woman will be confronted with material contradictions. According to evidence before court, in the hours before the alleged attack, witnesses had seen the woman kissing, hugging and fondling the athlete. They also noted that the woman had consumed alcohol and substantial amounts of cannabis. 

The case was postponed until May 10 for further investigation. 

African News Agency/ANA

The case against a 19-year-old Blue Bulls rugby player, charged with rape and robbery, was postponed in the New Brighton Magistrates’ Court in the Eastern Cape on Tuesday, pending a decision from the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP).

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Tsepo Ndwalaza said it was standard procedure for the NPA to decide whether or not to prosecute the rugby player on charges of rape and robbery.

The former Grey High School pupil, who cannot be named until he has formally pleaded, is facing charges after an 18-year-old woman opened a case against him in December last year. The alleged incident happened after a night out in KwaMagxasi in Port Elizabeth.

He was at court on Tuesday, supported by a host of family members. The rugby player, who was released on bail of R10 000 last month, intends to plead not guilty to the charges and alleges that the woman’s motive for opening a case against him was as a result of her stealing his wallet and cellphone.

He previously claimed that the pair did have sex, but that it was consensual.

According to the state, it was the defence’s submission during the bail hearing that the woman had consumed alcohol on the night of December 27, 2017, with the state charging that she was raped early the next morning. The state believes that the woman could not have consented to sexual intercourse if she was under the influence of alcohol. The state further contends that on the night of the alleged incident, the complainant and the player had attended a party at a flat in Central.

The woman’s statement to police details that the player and another person drove the woman home. At some stage the athlete needed to relieve himself. When the car stopped the woman decided to walk home, she claimed that the rugby player came from behind, tripped and dragged her into the bushes where he raped her.

However, the defence said it was in possession of a voice recording where the woman could be heard saying that she got out of the vehicle herself and walked home, and there was no mention in these recordings that she was dragged.

The defence believes that if the matter goes to trial, the woman will be confronted with material contradictions. According to evidence before court, in the hours before the alleged attack, witnesses had seen the woman kissing, hugging and fondling the athlete. They also noted that the woman had consumed alcohol and substantial amounts of cannabis.

The case was postponed until May 10 for further investigation.

– African News Agency (ANA)

‘Blue Bulls player’ leaves man in coma after club assault

PORT ELIZABETH – The case against a 19-year-old Blue Bulls rugby player, charged with rape and robbery, will resume in the New Brighton Magistrate’s Court in the Eastern Cape on Tuesday.

The former Grey High School pupil, who cannot be named until he has formally pleaded, is facing charges after an 18-year-old woman opened a case against him in December last year.The alleged incident happened after a night out in KwaMagxasi in Port Elizabeth.

The rugby player, who was released on bail of R10 000 last month, intends to plead not guilty to the charges at trial and alleges that the woman’s motive for opening a case against him was as a result of her stealing his wallet and cellphone. He claimed that the pair did have sex, but it was consensual.

According to the State, it was the defence’s submission during the bail hearing that the woman had consumed alcohol on the night of December 27, 2017, before allegedly being raped early the next morning. 

The State believes that the woman could not consent to sexual intercourse if she was under the influence of alcohol.

The State contends that on the night of the alleged incident, the complainant and the player had attended a party at a flat in Central. The woman’s statement to police details that the player, and another person, drove the woman home.

At some stage the athlete needed to relieve himself. When the car stopped the woman decided to walk home, she claimed that the rugby player came from behind, tripped and dragged her into the bushes where he raped her.

However, the defence said it was in possession of a voice recording where the complainant could be heard saying that she got out of the vehicle herself and walked home and there was no mention in these recordings that she was dragged.

The defence believes that at trial, the woman will be confronted with material contradictions.

According to evidence before court, in the hours before the alleged attack, witnesses had seen the woman kissing, hugging and fondling the athlete. They also noted that the woman had consumed alcohol and substantial amounts of cannabis.

African News Agency/ANA

PORT ELIZABETH – The case against a 19-year-old Blue Bulls rugby player, charged with rape and robbery, will resume in the New Brighton Magistrate’s Court in the Eastern Cape on Tuesday.

The former Grey High School pupil, who cannot be named until he has formally pleaded, is facing charges after an 18-year-old woman opened a case against him in December last year.The alleged incident happened after a night out in KwaMagxasi in Port Elizabeth.

The rugby player, who was released on bail of R10,000 last month, intends to plead not guilty to the charges at trial and alleges that the woman’s motive for opening a case against him was as a result of her stealing his wallet and cellphone. He claimed that the pair did have sex, but it was consensual.

According to the State, it was the defence’s submission during the bail hearing that the woman had consumed alcohol on the night of December 27, 2017, before allegedly being raped early the next morning.

The State believes that the woman could not consent to sexual intercourse if she was under the influence of alcohol.

The State contends that on the night of the alleged incident, the complainant and the player had attended a party at a flat in Central. The woman’s statement to police details that the player, and another person, drove the woman home.

READ: Blue Bulls rugby player charged with rape waits for bail verdict

At some stage the athlete needed to relieve himself. When the car stopped the woman decided to walk home, she claimed that the rugby player came from behind, tripped and dragged her into the bushes where he raped her.

However, the defence said it was in possession of a voice recording where the complainant could be heard saying that she got out of the vehicle herself and walked home and there was no mention in these recordings that she was dragged.

The defence believes that at trial, the woman will be confronted with material contradictions.

According to evidence before court, in the hours before the alleged attack, witnesses had seen the woman kissing, hugging and fondling the athlete. They also noted that the woman had consumed alcohol and substantial amounts of cannabis.

African News Agency

Port Elizabeth – A 19-year-old Blue Bulls rugby player charged with rape and robbery was granted bail of R10 000, while the woman who opened the case against him was criticised for “speaking out” on social media, by the New Brighton Magistrate’s Court in the Eastern Cape  on Thursday. 

The former Grey High School pupil, who cannot be named until he has formally pleaded, is facing charges after an 18-year-old woman opened a case against him in December last year. 

The alleged incident happened after a night out in KwaMagxasi in Port Elizabeth. In summarising evidence before court on Thursday, Magistrate Una Rhodes read out statements from witnesses who had also attended the party at a flat in Central. 

In the hours before the alleged attack, witnesses had seen the woman kissing, hugging and fondling the athlete. They also noted that the woman had consumed alcohol and substantial amounts of cannabis.  

Read more: Rape accused Blue Bulls player needs bail to advance his career – lawyer

The rugby player who intends to plead not guilty to the charges at trial, alleged that the woman’s motive for opening a case against him was as a result of her stealing his wallet and cellphone. He claimed that the pair did have sex, but it was consensual. 

The State on the other hand, claimed that the defence tried to tarnish the name of the complainant and according to the prosecution the woman could have been smoking flavoured tobacco and not dagga. 

Magistrate Rhodes criticised the woman for her outbursts on social media in the form of voice notes. She said that it raised serious questions in her mind, leaving room to doubt the reliability of her evidence. She also noted that there were contradictions in her statement to police and the voice notes. 

Also read: Blue Bulls rape accused awaits bail verdict

In her statement to police the woman claimed that she was dragged from the car they drove in and raped in the bushes, while in the voice notes she claimed that she got out of the vehicle, walked home and was attacked from behind.

However, Rhodes said that it was not the role of the bail court to decide on issues of credibility and those were matters to be dealt with at trial.  

Rhodes said that she was able to find that exceptional circumstances existed to warrant the athlete’s release on bail. “Being a sports star is not exceptional, however the circumstances around his career amount to exceptional circumstances,” she said. 

Rhodes said that rugby allowed him to be self sufficient and take care of the needs of his two-year-old son. 

On taking the community into consideration, she said it was disconcerting a rape of a five-year old child, in the same court building, got no attention from the public. She said that she condoned “victims speaking out” but it needed to be done in line with following procedure. “Why does the community feel no outrage? Do the community only feel rage because he is a Blue Bulls rugby player?” she asked. 

“The public had protested but this court cannot be held to ransom. Seemingly the public already found him guilty but this court can’t be bound by public opinion,” said Rhodes.  

The rugby player is to report to the Sunnyside Police Station in Pretoria thrice a week and to have no contact with the complainant and witnesses as part of his bail conditions. The case was postponed until March 27 for further investigation. 

African News Agency/ANA