COVID-19 UPDATE - OCTOBER 2

COVID-19 Update from Mayor Wade Mills October 2, 2020

If there had been any question as to whether or not we are into the “second wave” of this pandemic, it seems that the matter is settled. Today alone there were 732 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Ontario which is new single-day high.  Province-wide, our cumulative reported totals now sit at 52,980 cases, 44,850 resolved cases, 2,927 reported deaths, and 167 current hospitalizations. The new cases continue to be more highly concentrated in the known “hot-spot” areas of Toronto, Peel, York, and Ottawa. New modelling data released this week shows that we can expect to see up to 1000 new daily cases throughout Ontario by mid-October.

While the numbers locally are not as startling, we are continuing to see upward movement. Within the Wellington Dufferin Guelph Public Health region, we now have had a total of 674 cases since the beginning of the pandemic. According to the DWGPH website, there are currently 58 active cases being reported throughout the region with eight new cases being reported within past 24 hours and one current hospitalization. Within Dufferin County, our cumulative total now sits at 224 cases which is up by five from the September 25th report. There are currently 13 active cases being reported within Dufferin but still no hospitalizations are being reported.

In response to the surge of new cases throughout the province, Premier Ford today announced a number of new measures. The concept of the 10-person “social circles” is being put on hold and all Ontarians are being asked to only be in close contact with members of their immediate household. Further restrictions are being imposed upon some businesses (restaurants, bars, gyms) in Toronto, Peel, and Ottawa and no further provincial re-openings will be considered for the next 28 days. The Premier is also announced a new province-wide mandatory mask order for all indoor public settings including businesses, facilities, and workplaces. The overall social gathering limits have not yet changed and remain at 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors.

Within the Town of Shelburne, we have decided again to scale back public access to Town Hall. Beginning on Monday, October 5^th, the public will have access to Town Hall between Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:00am to 2:00pm or otherwise by requested appointment Mondays to Fridays, 9:00am to 4:00pm. Many services (including payment options) remain available online at www.shelburne.ca  Our staff will still be working full hours but based upon smaller team models in the office to limit the possibility of contact spread as much as possible. Our two main priorities remain 1) the health and safety of our staff, and 2) the uninterrupted continuation of critical municipal services that our residents rely upon. This new approach will help us to better guarantee both objectives and we will review this model again at the end of October.

While I am hopeful that our community can successfully avoid the worst of the second wave, this will largely depend upon our collective efforts over the next few weeks.  Please continue to follow the public health guidelines and please try to limit your close physical contact with those outside of your household. It’s time to once again strengthen our resolve and pull together as we did during the first wave.

Have a safe and enjoyable weekend.

Mayor Wade Mills