Ottawa (AFP) - Canada announced Tuesday a onetime payment of up to Can$500 (US$360) for seniors -- who as a group have suffered the most COVID-19 sickness and fatalities -- to help defray added pandemic costs of living.
An
estimated seven million elderly Canadians qualify for the aid.
"The
last few weeks have been particularly tough for our seniors and their
families," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told a daily briefing.
"Our
parents and our grandparents are most at risk of catching the COVID-19 virus
and of suffering the most serious consequences right across the country,"
he said.
The
pandemic, he said, exposed shortfalls in care at nursing homes, where roughly
80 percent of COVID-19 deaths in Canada occurred. The crisis led to the military
being sent in to help feed and care for residents.
A lockdown
has also left many elderly Canadians isolated, and facing additional costs for
prescription drugs or grocery deliveries, for example, "which means they
can't take advantage of sales in stores," Trudeau said.
"It's
hard on their morale, as well as on their finances," he said.
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