Prime Minister Justin Trudeau provides an update on the COVID pandemic during a press conference in Ottawa on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020. (Sean Kilpatrick/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Coronavirus pandemic ‘really sucks’ and could impact Christmas, says Trudeau

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the global COVID-19 pandemic “really sucks” and Canadians should brace for a “tough winter ahead.”

Speaking to reporters in Ottawa on Tuesday, Trudeau acknowledged that the second wave of the pandemic could jeopardize large gatherings with friends and family over Christmas on the heels of a toned-down Thanksgiving season.

“It’s frustrating to have to explain to your kids in many parts of the country, like here in Ottawa, that we’re not going to be trick-or-treating this weekend. And it’s frustrating knowing that unless we’re really, really careful, there may not be the kinds of family gatherings we want to have at Christmas,” Trudeau said at a news conference.

Canada registered 220,000 infections and nearly 10,000 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic on Tuesday, according to data released by federal health officials.

“What we are living through is a horrific national tragedy,” Trudeau said.

But Trudeau urged Canadians not to give up despite frustrations over conflicting information being released by health authorities across the country.

Unlike during the first wave of the pandemic when authorities urged a general lockdown, the situation is different during this second lockdown, he said.

“We could have a single unified message, ‘Everybody stay home,’ but nobody wants that,” Trudeau said.

“So we have a more targeted approach that provinces are designing, that the federal government is there to support the provinces on and yes it’s more complicated, but it’s also far less difficult and painful for all of us as a country.”

He also offered some hope.

“We will get through this. Vaccines are on the horizon. Spring and summer will come and they will be better than this winter,” Trudeau said.

With files from The Canadian Press

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