The latest news on the COVID-19 global pandemic (all times Eastern):
8:20 a.m.
The Canadian Bankers Association says the country's six largest banks have deferred more than 10 per cent of the mortgages in their portfolios as borrowers affected by COVID-19 seek financial help.
The association says almost 500,000 requests for mortgage deferrals or to skip a payment have been completed or are in process.
Canadian banks announced a mortgage deferral program over two weeks ago in a move to help those hurt by the steps taken to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The six largest banks said they would allow customers to defer mortgage payments for up to six months among other changes.
6:30 a.m.
A regional government near Toronto has apologized after revealing it accidentally mailed letters to 16 people saying their COVID-19 tests were negative when they were actually positive.
The Region of Peel's top medical official says the letters were mailed on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Dr. Lawrence Loh says his team is working to notify the people involved and that changes have been made to their process to ensure the mistake doesn't happen again.
The Canadian Press
