April 12 coronavirus news

In a rare Saturday session, Canadian lawmakers passed legislation that will subsidize up to 75% of workers’ salaries to avoid even more mass layoffs during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, now out of quarantine after his wife tested positive for the virus in March, attended the scaled-down session with a "quorum" of about 20 lawmakers.

Opposition parties joined Trudeau’s governing party to unanimously approve the wage-subsidy scheme, which will cost more than $50 billion (in US currency) and will be applied retroactively to days worked since March 15.

A majority of Canadian companies are likely to qualify for the subsidy.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Saturday that a public health order banning mass gatherings was amended to include houses of worship. 

“We know that you want to practice your faith, as you should. But this year we must remember that home is holy. The best thing you can do for your community is to stay there," Grisham said in a news release.

"While this will be emotionally difficult for so many New Mexicans, public health must be the top priority. The only way to slow the spread of COVID-19 is by staying home and minimizing all person-to-person contact."

There are 478 people linked to the Cook County Jail in Chicago who have tested positive for coronavirus, sheriff’s officials said Saturday.

According to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, 304 detainees at the jail in Chicago and 174 correctional officers have tested positive for Covid-19.

Of the detainees sickened in the outbreak, 20 have been hospitalized and 39 have been moved to a recovery facility. Earlier this week, officials announced that two detainees died of "apparent" complications due to coronavirus, pending autopsy results.

A federal judge on Thursday denied a motion to order the immediate release of medically vulnerable detainees at the Chicago jail to prevent the further spread of Covid-19.

Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud approved an extension of the curfew imposed across the country until further notice, the state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

The Ministry of Interior is asking people "to adhere to the curfew for their safety" SPA reported.  

Saudi Arabia initially instituted its curfew in March as part of a series of measures to contain the spread of coronavirus in the country.

There are at least 527,111 cases of coronavirus in the US and at least 20,506 people have died from it, according to Johns Hopkins University's tally of cases in the United States.

Cases have been recorded in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as all repatriated cases. 

Wyoming is the only state that is not reporting a death from coronavirus.

The latest US numbers from Johns Hopkins can be found here.