Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Online Bulletin for Municipal Partners March 20, 2020 | To ensure everyone has current information during this quickly evolving outbreak, Hastings Prince Edward Public Health will be providing regular COVID-19 updates over the next several weeks. For more information please follow us on our website or call 613-966-5500. | - The Canadian-United States border will be closed to non-essential travel, effective midnight tonight. Come Saturday, tourists and visitors will not be allowed in.
- Canadians outside of the country are encouraged to return to home and can access a $5K loan to assist their prompt return.
- Canadian residents could be asked to continue social distancing for weeks or even months.
- Funding will be provided to First Nations, Metis and Inuit communities to support their efforts in dealing with COVID-19.
- Yesterday, PM Trudeau announced $27B in direct support for those struggling to find work or care for family members. The emergency benefits aren't yet available, but the government has released guidelines on who can apply, and how much relief Canadians can expect.The Emergency Care Benefit will provide up to $900 bi-weekly for Canadian workers who meet criteria and are affected by measures to stop the spread of COVID-19.
| - The Ontario government has passed two pieces of legislation which will protect the jobs of employees who self-isolate or quarantine, help keep store shelves stocked and give municipal councils the flexibility to continue operations while maintaining social distance.
- Premier Ford also announced some additional measures and discussions he's been having to protect Ontarians including;
- the temporary suspension of renewals for driver's licences, licence plate stickers and health cards
- suspending all evictions and regular court operations while continuing to have urgent matters heard
- bringing together retailers, industries and manufacturers to help divert production and delivery towards medical and public health measures
- auto-manufacturers switching over their line capacity to produce ventilators should the health-care system run out
- sanitizer companies distributing their products to the health sector for free
- exploring with labor unions and companies ways reduced hours of work to reduce the risk to their employees
- Currently, there are enough ventilators and beds to deal with this crisis
- An additional 1,300 lines have been added to telehealth
- A Cyber advisory has been shared with the health system, highlighting increased phishing and malicious activity using the COVID19 pandemic as a lure. Organizations are strongly recommended to follow email hygiene/ phishing best practices to defend against increased suspicious activity.
- The Premier of Ontario has declared an emergency under s.7.0.1(1) of the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act. Under this declaration and its associated orders, the following establishments are legally required to close immediately:
- All facilities providing indoor recreational programs
- All public libraries
- All private schools as defined in the Education Act
- All bars and restaurants, except for takeout food and delivery
- All theatres, including those offering live performances of music, dance, and other art forms, as well as cinemas that show movies
- All organized public events of over fifty people are also prohibited, including parades and events and communal services within places of worship. These orders will remain in place until March 31, 2020, at which point they will be reassessed and considered for extension.
- In a press conference held earlier today, Ontario Minister of Edcuation Lecce stated that at this time they will not extend the closure of schools; however, they will defer to the recommendations of the Chief Medial Officers of Health for the province and country if an extension is advised. Educational resources are available, and being expanded, at ontario.ca/page/learn-at-home.
| - Beer stores have reduced operating hours and stopped accepting bottle returns until further notice.
- Quinte Waste issued a release yesterday asking anyone who is self-isolating for 14 days to refrain from recycling their waste until their quarantine is complete.
| - In response to the increased need for community screening and information, the HPEPH COVID-19 information line is operating 8:30 am to 8:30 pm Monday to Friday, and 8:30 am to 4:30 pm on weekends. Callers are assessed for risk of COVID-19 based on their travel history, symptoms, and the Ministry of Health case definitions.
- HPEPH will report new local lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 on the hpePublicHealth.ca website, rather than issuing individual media releases. The website will be updated daily at 2 pm on the main COVID-19 page.
- HPEPH has added an employer information package on our website with information, guidance and signs for workplaces, as well as a COVID-19 risk self-assessment tool and a letter for employees who have recently travelled to provide their employers.
- A mental health page has also been created to offer strategies for maintaining good mental health and supporting kids during the pandemic.
- Although public-facing services are currently suspended at HPEPH office, residential well potable water test bottles can be dropped off for testing at the Belleville office from Monday to Friday between 8:30 am and 4 pm.
| We want to ensure this bulletin is as useful to you as possible. Please send your questions, comments and suggestions to klarose@hpeph.ca. | Contact Information: To give us your comments: klarose@hpeph.ca You have received this email at kkhani@hpeph.ca from Hastings Prince Edward Public Health as a result of a request you have made or due to a service/subscription that you are registered for. While you may discontinue your subscription to this mailing any time by pressing the unsubscribe button below, this bulletin will be used to provide important updates about COVID-19 in our community. | | | | |
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