The S&P/TSX composite index in Canada had its worst trading day in nearly four months on Monday, dropping more than 100 points before partly rebounding Tuesday morning.Imax Corp. says it postponed the release of five films after China's more than 60,000 movie theatres shut down, including the company's more than 600 locations. The Mississauga, Ont.
Bombardier Inc., the Montreal-based train-and-plane maker employing some 8,000 workers in China, echoes other Canadian companies with a foothold on the mainland and says it is "monitoring the evolving situation" and asking staff to "strictly follow the travel and public health instructions issued by the Chinese authorities."
The virus has killed at least 106 people and infected more than 2,750 others, Chinese officials report. The flu-like illness has spread to at least 14 other countries in Europe and North America, including two confirmed cases in Toronto and one presumptive case in Vancouver. The extent of the epidemic to date falls well short of the spread of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, an illness from the same family as coronavirus, that spread from China to more than two dozen countries, including Canada, in 2003.
The damage came in large part from fear-based shifts in consumer behaviour rather than higher medical expenditures, Ostwald wrote in the report. Its critical role in international shipping may be thrown into disarray as ships encounter delays at the port at Wuhan, a key hub on the Yangtze River.
I bet that “Bat Soup” restaurant is out of business now too in China.