Here are the latest local, regional and national headlines on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) for Wednesday, April 1, 2020:
- There have been 1,966 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across Ontario. Recovered from the virus: 534. Deaths from the virus: 33. There are now 13 confirmed cases in the United Counties of SD&G and Prescott-Russell. The number of Ontario people tested is 51,629 of which 4,280 have pending results.
- Canada’s confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 case total is 8,548. The country has 96 COVID-19 related deaths – 19 in British Columbia, nine in Alberta, two in Saskatchewan, one in Manitoba, 33 in Ontario, 31 in Quebec and one in Newfoundland & Labrador.
- The Eastern Ontario Health Unit added another four cases to its list Tuesday, bringing the total number of cases in the region to 13. Ten cases are in Prescott-Russell and three are in Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry (SD&G).
- A COVID-19 assessment center opens in Winchester today at the Lions Club hall on Albert Street. It will be open weekdays noon to 6 p.m.
- Students will be doing more learning from home until the beginning of May. The province extended the closure of schools through May 4 for students and rolled out its next phase of virtual learning. Read that story here.
- In the counties of Leeds, Grenville and Lanark, two “older people” have died from the coronavirus. A man was part of an outbreak at a nursing home in Mississippi Mills. A woman, living at home, died at an Ottawa hospital. More on this story on our sister site, Brockville Newswatch.
- The City of Cornwall is starting to take applications from essential workers and critical service workers for a “select number” of licenced child care centers. Those spaces, allowed under Ontario emergency order, are for families of police officers, paramedics, firefighters and health care workers, for example.
- While extending the emergency order, the Ontario government has also added a new emergency order, closing all outdoor recreational amenities.
- Jail guards at the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Center refused to work the morning shift on Tuesday because of a lack of COVID-19 screening, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union says.
- Toronto has banned all city-led events through the end of June to combat COVID-19 spread. That includes the Pride festival.
- While underscoring to his community that the coronavirus must be taken seriously, South Dundas Mayor Steven Byvelds also gave a nod to local volunteers. “Just this weekend, I observed a young person delivering food to a couple who had returned from abroad and were self-isolating,” Byvelds wrote in a Monday update to constituents.
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.