Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that the federal government loan scheme for businesses will be expanded. 

Speaking outside Rideau Cottage in Ottawa this morning, Trudeau said the Canada Emergency Business Account will now be available to firms whose payroll was between $20,000 and $1.5 million in 2019. 

It had previously been available only to companies with payrolls of between $50,000 and $1 million. 

The scheme offers up to $40,000 in loans to eligible businesses. 

He said over 195,000 loans have been approved so far – handing out more than $7.5 billion in credit. 

Trudeau also said another program – Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance – is being discussed with provinces and territories. 

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It would help small businesses cover rent costs in April, May and June. 

He also said again that the country remains "weeks away" from reopening. 

"Until we have a vaccine, until we are in a place where there is proper treatment, there is a massive amount of testing, we are not going to be able to talk about getting back to normal," he explained.

He said it "must be done at the right moment" and "very carefully." 

It would be "absolutely disastrous" to open the economy prematurely, he added, explaining that a second wave could be just as bad as the current one. 

Even taking into account provincial variations, he said, any reopening is weeks away. 

The prime minister said the US-Canada border, meanwhile, is likewise "many weeks" from reopening. 

Only essential goods and some workers can cross the border now. 

Trudeau also joked about snow falling across Canada in recent days – including in Ottawa. 

"That's just what 2020 brings," he said.