Here is the latest local, regional and national headlines on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) for Friday, March 27, 2020:
- There have been 858 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across Ontario. Eight of those have recovered. Fifteen people have died. The positive total includes four confirmed cases in the Eastern Ontario Health Unit’s jurisdiction – all in Prescott-Russell. The number of Ontario people tested is 38,550; 26,727 were negative and test results are pending for 10,965.
- Canada’s confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 case total is 4,043. The country has 39 COVID-19 related deaths – 14 in British Columbia, two in Alberta, 15 in Ontario and eight in Quebec.
- The five eastern counties and the City of Cornwall have collectively declared states of emergency Thursday. The City of Cornwall and the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry and United Counties of Prescott-Russell joint declaration has little effect on the general population – it’s a tool to allow governments more flexibility to respond to the pandemic.
- Medical Officer of Health Dr. Paul Roumeliotis says with the warmer weather and chip trucks coming online, they will be keeping an eye on them to make sure precautions are being taken. As a take-out restaurant, they are considered an essential service.
- Who do you call if you see someone not abiding by the new mandatory quarantine? Cornwall police have set up Quarantine Act Enforcement Teams to work with local health authorities in enforcing the 14 day home isolation for people who arrived back in Canada after 11:59 p.m. March 25. Call 613-932-2110 to report potential violators within the City of Cornwall. The federal government says it will be doing spot checks to ensure compliance. Outside the city, call the O.P.P. at 1-888-310-1122. Those who came back to Canada before the time above, the quarantine doesn’t apply to them, but they are still strongly encouraged to self-isolate.
- St. Lawrence College has donated three ventilators it bought last year to area hospitals. One is going to the Cornwall hospital. The other two are going to Kingston. Also going to hospitals in Brockville and Cornwall are 20 boxes of gloves, 6,000 masks and hand sanitizer. The supplies are from the college’s nursing program.
- Put away your cash if you’re making a trip to the Cornwall landfill. The site on Cornwall Centre Road is now only taking debit, Visa or previously set up charge accounts with a self-serve kiosk outside the scale house.
- Facing a crushing number of applications for emergency no-to-low interest micro loans, Cornwall and the Counties Community Futures Development Corporation cut off applications at 5 p.m. Thursday. The CFDC believes it will process as many loans in two weeks that it normally does in an entire year.
- Next door to SD&G, Leeds-Grenville and Lanark recorded its first positive case. A woman in her 70s with a history of travel to the states is in self-isolation at home. Her symptoms are described as “moderate.”
- The Ontario government is allowing businesses to defer their Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) premiums for six months without interest penalty. The deferment until Aug. 31 will amount to about $1,760 per business for 275,000 Ontario businesses.
- Premier Doug Ford slammed price gougers and says the government will go after them. He even called out a Toronto store for selling Lysol wipes for $30 a package. The company has since apologized, calling it a mistake and is offering a refund to customers.
- The federal government is asking banks and credit card companies to lower interest rates to help struggling Canadian families.
- The United States surpassed China for the most confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the world. The U.S. now has more than 85,500 cases and more than 1,280 deaths, according to John Hopkins University.
Have a story or news release related to COVID-19? Send it along for possible inclusion in a future digest on Cornwall Newswatch. Email editor@cornwallnewswatch.com. Please put “COVID-19 Digest” in the subject line.