THE BEAST

RUSH guitarist Alex Lifeson says that he will spend the next 14 days "self-quarantining" to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.

Earlier today, Lifeson took to RUSH 's official Twitter to write: "Just returned from Spring Break with my gKids. We are all self quarantining for 14 days. All travellers should. Looking forward to getting caught up on Netflix !! Send your top viewing suggestions. – Alex "

The province of Ontario, where Alex lives, currently has the largest number of COVID-19 cases in Canada. On Saturday, Ontario reported 24 new cases, the highest daily increase since the outbreak began, bringing the total number of cases to 103.

There have been more than 169,000 confirmed cases and more than 6,000 deaths so far, putting public health systems and emergency services under immense pressure.

Officials have made it clear that the elderly — especially those with heart, lung and immunological conditions — are particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus, with at least 25 deaths linked to one nursing home in Washington.

In Italy, which has one of the oldest populations in the world, one hundred percent of the people who have died have been over 60, and the vast majority over 80.

Just returned from Spring Break with my gKids. We are all self quarantining for 14 days. All travellers should. Looking forward to getting caught up on Netflix!! Send your top viewing suggestions. - Alex

— Rush (@rushtheband) March 15, 2020