COVID 19 Update April 1, 2021

COVID-19 Update from Mayor Wade Mills April 1, 2021

There were 2,557 new COVID-19 cases reported in Ontario today which marks the eighth straight day where new cases were over the 2,000 mark. Province-wide, our cumulative reported totals are now 352,460 cases, and 7,389 reported deaths. There are currently 1,111 Ontarians hospitalized with 396 in ICU and 252 on ventilators.

Locally, we have seen an additional 45 new cases reported since yesterday bringing our total to 167 active cases throughout the WDGPH region. There are currently 18 health unit residents in hospital. Within Dufferin County specifically, we have had seven new cases reported within the last 24-hour period. Our current active case count stands at 40 for the county and three Dufferin County residents are being reported as in hospital. Within the Town of Shelburne, it is reported that we have 14 residents who are currently positive which is a number that has increased over the past week.

Moments ago, Provincial officials confirmed what many suspected what was coming – Ontario will enter into an “Emergency Brake Shut-Down” for at least a month in response to the “third wave” which we are currently experiencing. This news comes on the wake of increasing cases and new modelling data that paints a grim picture around the transmission, death and hospitalizations rates associated with the variants. Premier Ford argued that this shut-down is needed now in order to create more “runway” for the ongoing vaccination roll-out.

Specific details on the lock-down can be found here: Ontario Implements Provincewide Emergency Brake | Ontario Newsroom  The lock-down measures will come into effect on Saturday, April 3^rd at 12:01 am and will include:

-Prohibiting indoor organized public events and social gatherings and limiting the capacity for outdoor organized public events or social gatherings to a 5-person maximum, except for gatherings with members of the same household (the people you live with) or gatherings of members of one household and one other person from another household who lives alone.

-Restricting in-person shopping in all retail settings, including a 50 per cent capacity limit for supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience stores, indoor farmers' markets, other stores that primarily sell food and pharmacies, and 25 per cent for all other retail including big box stores, along with other public health and workplace safety measures;

-Prohibiting personal care services;

-Prohibiting indoor and outdoor dining. Restaurants, bars and other food or drink establishments will be permitted to operate by take-out, drive-through, and delivery only;

-Prohibiting the use of facilities for indoor or outdoor sports and recreational fitness (e.g., gyms) with very limited exceptions;

-Requiring day camps to close; and,

-Limiting capacity at weddings, funerals, and religious services, rites or ceremonies to 15 per cent occupancy per room indoors, and to the number of individuals that can maintain two metres of physical distance outdoors. This does not include social gatherings associated with these services such as receptions, which are not permitted indoors and are limited to five people outdoors.

This is clearly not the news that any of us were hoping for as we head into Easter weekend. As difficult as it is, and as tired as we all are, I sincerely ask each and every resident to respect the measures that are being put into place and to register for your vaccinations as soon as you can. Again, our local registry is found at https://register.wdgpublichealth.ca/

If we are able to come together through what will hopefully be our last lock-down, then I am hopeful that we can begin to see some gradual return to normalcy as we move into the summer.

Stay well and please try to have a Happy Easter despite today’s difficult news.

Mayor Wade Mills