Covid 19 Update October 30

COVID-19 Update from Mayor Wade Mills

October 30, 2020

Ontario has 896 new cases being reported today.  The seven-day average of new cases (which is a more accurate measure of trends) has surpassed the 900 mark for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic. Province-wide, our cumulative reported totals now sit at 74,715 cases, 63,919 resolved cases, 3,127 reported deaths, and 314 current hospitalizations.

Even though our Provincial daily case counts remain high, one positive measure that can be drawn from the data is that the number of deaths occurring during the “second wave” are lower than during the first. Medical experts are cautious to make any major pronouncements about this yet but they are indicating that this is not entirely unexpected. In the months since the virus first made an appearance in Ontario, doctors have learned more about it, treatments have become more effective, testing has increased, and on a relative basis, the virus is now more prevalent among younger, healthy members of our population.

Within the Wellington Dufferin Guelph Public Health region, we have had three new cases reported with the past 24 hours. Currently, we have 50 active cases and only one current hospitalization. Within Dufferin County, two new cases have been added within the past 24 hours. There are currently 9 active cases being reported within Dufferin but no hospitalizations.

Halloween has been a hot topic for many residents over the past couple of weeks and I have been asked on more than one occasion if I planned on “cancelling” it! To be clear, Halloween is NOT cancelled. That said, what I want to do is arm parents with the information that they need to make the best and safest decisions that they can for their families. To that end, I have released a checklist of guidelines developed by Provincial and public health authorities to ensure that Halloween 2020 is as safe and enjoyable as possible for the whole community. The guidelines released are as follows:

GENERAL GUIDELINES:

-Avoid gatherings with people outside of your household

-Stay home if you are feeling ill, even if you have mild symptoms, or if you are at higher risk for serious illness from COVID-19

-Turn off your porch light and don’t hand out treats if you are sick, even with mild symptoms, or self-isolating

-Stay within our own public health unit region

TRICK-OR-TREATING GUIDELINES:

-Only go out with members of your household

-Only trick-or-treat outside

-Both trick-or-treaters and people handing out candy should wear a face covering — a costume mask is not a substitute and should not be worn over a face covering because it may make it difficult to breathe

-Do not congregate or linger at doorsteps and remember to line up two metres apart if you are waiting

-Avoid high-touch surfaces and objects, such as railings and doorbells

-Whether you are collecting or handing out treats, wash your hands often and thoroughly, or use hand sanitizer

-If you are giving out treats, do not leave them in a bucket or bowl for children to grab. Consider using tongs or other similar tools to hand out treats.

-Respect the decisions and choices of other families

-HAVE FUN AND BE SAFE

Regardless of what decision you and your family make about Halloween 2020, please be safe and please respect the decisions of other families if they differ from your own. We all have our own unique set of family circumstances and there is no one-size-fits-all approach. As for my family, we have one very excited little (3 ½ year old) Ghostbuster who will be taking part in the Trick-or-Trick Drive Thru event tomorrow at the CDRC and we look forward to seeing many of you there.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful and safe Halloween.

Have a great weekend!

Mayor Wade Mills