Judging in the Time of a Pandemic: The Impact of COVID-19 on Bail and Sentencing in Canada

At “the end of 2019 the World Health Organization was alerted to several cases of pneumonia in Wuhan, China, caused by an unknown virus. On 7 January 2020, China advised the world that a new coronavirus was the cause, later labelled SARS-CoV-2. It causes the disease known as COVID-19. In mid-January 2020, the Public Health Agency of Canada activated the Emergency Operation Centre in support of Canada’s response to COVID-19.

On 22 January 2020, Canada implemented COVID-19 screening requirements for travelers returning from China. On 25 January 2020, Canada confirmed its first case of COVID-19 related to travel from Wuhan, China. On 9 March 2020, Canada recorded its first death related to COVID-19” (see Taylor v. Newfoundland and Labrador, 2020 NLSC 125, at paragraphs 29 to 31).