If you have COVID-19 questions, Health Canada has a virtual assistant the can help answer your questions.
On Thursday Health Canada said, “Do you have questions about #COVID19? Ask our virtual assistant, it can help you find what you need.”
Do you have questions about #COVID19? Ask our virtual assistant, it can help you find what you need. https://t.co/EBjj29RYkq pic.twitter.com/qOGVugXLaH
— Health Canada and PHAC (@GovCanHealth) March 20, 2020
The link provided leads to the Government of Canada’s website on coronavirus. The virtual assistant lurks in the bottom right corner of the website.
Upon clicking on it, there are pre-populated questions and answers that pop up. “Have a question? Start here! What COVID-19 information do you need?”, asks the virtual assistant.
There are six choices to choose from, such as ‘symptoms and treatment’, ‘travel advice’, ‘prevention and risks’, ‘being prepared’, ‘Canada’s response’ and ‘About COVID-19’. Once you pick a couple answers in a row, you’ll be directed to “a page that may help”. That’s about it. You can’t type in a question of your own.
The virtual assistant is basically for those looking to find answers about COVID-19 from the Canada.ca website but need it in a spoon-fed form.
On Wednesday, Canada announced it would close its border with the U.S., shutting out tourism and non-essential travel, with entry only allowed for Canadians and permanent residents. The new border closure kicks into effect at midnight tonight.
