Alarmed by hospital capacity issues, fatalities and new cases, heavy restrictions (such as lockdowns and curfews) were put in place in affected areas (primarily Ontario, Quebec, and Alberta) and across the country.

[23][24] Federally, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau implemented vaccination requirements for air travel, Via Rail and Rocky Mountaineer trains, and federally regulated workers, effective October 30, 2021..[25][26] In January 2022, all of Canada's provinces and territories were experiencing record-level case numbers, primarily driven by the Omicron variant, which caused provincial and territorial governments to reintroduce restrictions surrounding travel and isolation.

However, in mid-February active caseloads and hospitalizations began to decrease and towards the end of February 2022, almost all provinces and territories had announced plans to lift restrictions by early March or mid-March 2022, if epidemiology remained favorable.

[28] On January 12, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, reported to the WHO on December 31, 2019.

[50] On January 17, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) indicated plans were in progress "to implement signage" in the Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver airports to raise awareness of the virus.

Initially, Canada faced a shortage of personal protective equipment, as the Trudeau government had reduced PPE funding as a cost-cutting measure in previous years.

A study in Ontario found that the Pfizer vaccine was 95% effective to prevent hospitalization or death from the Alpha, Beta and Gamma variants 7 days after the second dose.

[75] On March 23, Theresa Tam began appearing in public service announcements on radio and television, urging personal hygiene, social distancing, and against unnecessary travel.

[88][89] In April 2020, the Department of National Defence gave the provinces the option to get Canadian Armed Forces assistance in combating the pandemic in long-term care facilities.

[92] The Quarantine Act was invoked by Hajdu on March 26, making self-isolation a legal mandate for travelers (excluding essential workers) returning to the country.

[103] As the land border with the United States continued to be closed to non-essential travel, the Canadian government announced plans in October to allow family members to reunite under compassionate terms.

[105] On January 6, 2021, the federal government announced that all incoming travellers must present proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test conducted within 72 hours of their departure time to board flights into Canada.

[109] In July 2021, the government lifted the quarantine requirement for Canadian citizens and permanent residents re-entering the country, provided they submit proof of vaccination via the ArriveCAN app or website.

[138] Another program, the Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit (CRCB), supports Canadians working but have to take a break to care for dependents (a child below 12 years of age or a disabled family member).

[139] On March 20, 2020, the government announced a plan to ramp up production of medical equipment, switching assembly lines to produce ventilators, masks, and other personal protective gear.

Essential businesses included grocery stores, takeout and delivery restaurants, pharmacies, transportation, manufacturing, food production, energy, and healthcare.

[233][234][235] Liquor and cannabis stores mostly remained open across the country, with governments reversing their closure orders due to alcohol withdrawal syndrome[236][237] concerns.

Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Manitoba all offered one-time payments that aimed to bridge the gap before implementing the federal Canada Emergency Response Benefit.

On March 19, the Pimicikamak Cree Nation in northern Manitoba restricted entry to essential travellers, and Chief David Monias said the Sayisi Dene and others are doing the same.

In an update posted on May 16, the chief and council announced they had installed cameras with facial and licence plate recognition technology at local checkpoints to identify outsiders entering the territory.

[242] On October 1, in anticipation of the "Second Wave," Tk’emlups te Secwepemc Secwépemc First Nation instituted a mandatory face mask policy in indoor spaces where physical distancing was not possible, including hallways, staircases, and shared vehicles.

[255] Since this is usually a lengthy process, on March 18, the Minister of Health Hajdu issued an interim order to allow expedited access to COVID-19-related medical devices for use by healthcare providers, including diagnostic test kits.

At the centres, highly skilled technicians use large commercial machines from a variety of manufactures to process tens to hundreds batches of samples at a time.

"[263] Spartan Bioscience of Ottawa signed contracts with the federal government and the provinces of Alberta, Quebec, and Ontario to supply virus-RNA testing systems that process a single swab sample in 30 to 60 minutes.

[270] Precision Biomonitoring of Guelph signed a Letter of Intent on March 31 with the federal government to co-develop a novel point-of-care test kit for COVID-19, which is now pending an authorization from Health Canada.

[264] Health Canada deemed that "Serological tests are not appropriate for early diagnosis of COVID-19, largely due variability in the time required after infection to develop antibodies.

[271][283] As of 15 April 2023, total COVID-19 death statistics by Canadian province were: Ontario: 15,786; Quebec: 18,164; British Columbia: 5,007; Alberta: 5,584; Manitoba: 2,319; Saskatchewan: 1,880; Nova Scotia: 773; New Brunswick: 762; Newfoundland and Labrador: 316; Prince Edward Island: 90; Northwest Territories: 22; Yukon: 31; and Nunavut: 7.

The most impacted groups included essential workers, elderly population, indigenous communities, homeless individuals, racial and ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, those with mental health or substance abuse issues.

Dr. Tam said it was crucial to prioritize equity in resilience-building efforts to ensure fair distribution of social and economic safeguards, safe and stable housing, and access to culturally appropriate healthcare.

[287][286] She listed key insights learned from the pandemic, including recognizing and addressing inequalities in impact and access, understanding community-specific challenges, leveraging cross-sector collaboration, and empowering trusted local organizations.