Here are the latest local, regional and national headlines on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) for Friday, May 15, 2020:
- There have been 21,494 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across Ontario, an increase of 258 cases (or 1.2 per cent) from the previous day. There are 16,204 people recovered from the virus while 1,798 people have died. The number of Ontario people tested is 492,487 of which 17,578 have pending results.
- Canada’s coronavirus case total is 73,401. The country has 5,472 deaths from the virus – 135 in British Columbia, 121 in Alberta, six in Saskatchewan, seven in Manitoba, 1,798 in Ontario, 3,351 in Quebec, three in Newfoundland & Labrador and 51 in Nova Scotia.
- There were two more COVID-19 cases and one death Thursday in the Eastern Ontario Health Unit region, bringing the total to 134 cases and 10 deaths. Sixty-eight of those cases are resolved. The breakdown of cases is 15 in Cornwall (14 resolved), 21 in SD&G (16 resolved) and 98 in Prescott-Russell (38 resolved). There are two people in hospital – both in ICU. There have been 3,531 tests performed in the EOHU region, 128 more than the previous day. There are three institutional outbreaks and one outbreak resolved.
- The Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit reported another two coronavirus cases and another two deaths. That brings the case total to 326 and the death count to 48. For community cases in Leeds-Grenville, there were 21 in the central region (17 recovered), 12 in the west (10 recovered) and nine in the east (five recovered).
- Premier Doug Ford has announced the next phase of reopening for Ontario’s economy. Private campgrounds and parks can open for season preparation on Saturday and allow trailer and RV owners with full-season contracts to access their sites. Marinas, boat clubs and public boat launches can also reopen on Saturday. There will be more on Tuesday as part of the first stage of reopening the provincial economy. Details here.
- The region’s United Way is putting a federal grant towards meals for seniors struggling during the pandemic. Read that story here.
- The province has waived co-payment on prescriptions under the Ontario Drug Benefit Plan that are longer than 30 days being dispensed in installments. The waiving of the fee will be in place until July 1. People under the Trillium Drug Program can also apply for an income reassessment to help ease their payments.
- National parks and historic sites will partially reopen, starting June 1. The partial reopening will be some trails, day use areas, green spaces and boating. Camping is still a no-go until at least June 21.
- Quebec Premier Francois Legault announced Thursday that elementary schools will remain closed until the fall. Daycares are set to reopen June 1 and stores on June 25. Those two dates depend on how the COVID-19 numbers are in metro Montreal.
- With the delivery of goods an essential service during COVID-19, a Cornwall trucking company is helping out drivers on the road. Cornwall Truck Maintenance has put together care packages that include sanitizer, gloves, masks, portable male urinals and snacks, according to Today’s Trucking.
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.