For Municipal Partners

Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Online Bulletin for Municipal Partners

June 2, 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 review our website or call 613-966-5500.

Updates

Epidemiological

• Hastings and Prince Edward Counties have 43 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 183 probable cases, with 33 lab-confirmed cases having recovered and 5 deceased.
  • Approximately 7,564 COVID-19 tests have been conducted, with a 0.6% positivity rate.
  • Facilities experiencing COVID-19 outbreak can be found online.
  • More details are available on our website hpePublicHealth.ca.

• In Canada, there are 91,649 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 resulting in 7,326 deaths. To date, over 1,695,918 individuals have been tested.

Federal

Federal Support To Help Communities Create Jobs

• Yesterday, Prime Minister Trudeau announced that funding delivered through the federal Gas Tax Fund will be accelerated this year to help communities as quickly as possible while respecting public health guidelines.
• $2.2 billion in annual federal infrastructure funding for communities will be delivered in one payment in June. Early delivery of the full funding for 2020-2021 will help communities quickly move forward with infrastructure projects that will improve quality of life and help restart local economies.
• Communities have flexibility to use the funding to meet their local needs. Projects could include access to high-speed broadband, improvements to water and road systems, and the building of cycling and walking paths. These projects create jobs, and improve how Canadians live, work, and play.

Peaceful Protest Recommendations

• Dr. Tam, Canada's Chief Public Health Officer, asked Canadians wanting to participate in anti-racism protests to first consider the risks to themselves, their family and their community and choose a virtual option rather than in-person.
• She advised that for all gatherings during COVID-19, including peaceful protest, particpants should bring hand sanitizer and clean their hands often, practice physical distancing, and wear a mask when unable to keep 2-metres apart.
• She also recommended the use of signs and warned against shouting, as even with layers of protection, speaking loudly, shouting and singing can increase projection of infectious droplets.

Provincial

New Hydro Programs for Ontarians

• Yesterday, Premier Ford announced three hydro programs to assist residential users and businesses.
• The new COVID-19 Recovery Rate is now a fixed rate of 12.8 cents per kilowatt hour until October 31^st for all hydro users who normally pay time of use rates.
• The new COVID-19 Energy Assistance Program will assist low-income families by providing a one-time payment to cover electricity debts incurred during the COVID-19 period.
• The new COVID-19 Energy Assistance Program for small business will provide support to small businesses that are struggling to pay their electricity bills.
• Minister Rickford said that, beginning November 1, 2020, hydro customers will be able to choose to be billed by time of use or switch to a tiered rate electricity pricing plan. “This action will allow Ontarians to choose electricity pricing plan that best suits their household and lifestyle,” said the Minister.

Infectious Disease Emergency Leave Extension

• Yesterday, the Ontario government announced that it has enacted a new regulatory amendment that will put non-unionized employees on Infectious Disease Emergency Leave during the COVID-19 outbreak any time their hours of work are temporarily reduced by their employer due to COVID-19. This will ensure businesses aren't forced to terminate employees after their ESA temporary layoff periods have expired.
• Terminations triggered when temporary layoffs exceed the permitted length under the Employment Standards Act can result in costly payouts which, for many businesses, could be the difference between survival and closure.
• Under the new regulatory change to the Employment Standards Act, non-unionized employees who have had their hours reduced or eliminated because of the pandemic will be deemed to be on Infectious Disease Emergency Leave. Workers will remain employed with legal protections and be eligible for federal emergency income support programs.
• The regulatory amendment applies retroactively to March 1, 2020 and will expire six weeks after the declared emergency ends. The regulatory amendments do not include employees represented by a trade union.

Ontario Taking Action to Better Protect Indigenous Women

• The Ontario government is establishing a new Indigenous Women’s Advisory Council that will provide culturally-relevant advice on violence prevention. The Council will help confront and eliminate the root causes of violence so that Indigenous women and girls today, and for generations to come, will be able to live their lives feeling safe and secure.
• Ontario will benefit from the expertise of approximately 11 First Nations, Métis, Inuit and LGBTQ2S leaders and experts in violence prevention who will make up the Council, which will meet twice annually. An Elder/Traditional Knowledge Keeper will also be invited to guide and support the Council.

Guidance for Summer Day Camps

• The Ontario Ministry of Health has released guidelines for summer day camps, which are being permitted to operate during July and August with enhanced regulations to reduce the risk of the transmission of COVID-19.
• No overnight camps are permitted to operate.
• Summer day camps are required to follow all existing health and safety requirements as outlined in the Occupational Health and Safety Act, public health regulations as directed by the local medical officer of health, and other relevant requirements. Plans must also be in place should any staff, camp participant or parent/guardian be exposed to, or diagnosed with, COVID-19.

Local

• Prince Edward County is offering 5 free webinars in June for local businesses focusing on social media strategies, best practices and analytics. To register for one or all of the sessions, contact Grace Nyman, gnyman@pecounty.on.ca or 613-503-0115.

• June is Recreation and Parks Month in the City of Belleville. Follow along as the Quinte Sports & Wellness Centre shares tips on how to #RecreateResponsibly all month long. Always check the status of a park or trail before you leave home. If it is crowded when you arrive, go to your plan B location.

• In the Municipality of Tweed, Good Food Bags of fruit ($5) or vegetables ($10) are available for order. Orders must be placed by Friday, June 5 at 2:00 pm to be picked up in the afternoon of June 11 at the Gateway Community Health Centre. To place an order, call Carol Ann at 613-478-1211.

• Quinte Health Care (QHC) hospitals will begin to slowly add back some deferred scheduled surgeries and procedures previously put on hold due to COVID-19. The organization currently meets the required conditions, including the necessary supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) and the human resources required. Individuals will be contacted directly to book a time for their procedures as services slowly resume, beginning with patients currently on the waitlist. QHC currently has over 1,500 patients awaiting surgical procedures, with approximately 875 delayed due to COVID-19.

• The Trenton COVID-19 assessment centre will move from Trenton Memorial Hospital to Duncan McDonald Memorial Community Gardens, located at 8 Couch Crescent, by Friday, June 4. Individuals will be directed to the appropriate address this week when they call the assessment centre intake line at 613-961-5544 to book an appointment for testing.

Public Health

• HPEPH, in partnership with Hastings County, hosted a webinar yesterday for local businesses with questions about operating during the COVID-19 Pandemic.  Participants were provided with an overview of provincial guidelines available to help local businesses re-open following COVID-19 closures. A recording of the webinar and the slide deck from the presentation, are available on our website, along with other helpful healthy workplaces information for businesses and workplaces.

• National Accessibility Week, May 31 to June 6, is dedicated to inclusion and accessibility in Canada. HPEPH is committed to meeting the needs of everyone in the community. You can request any of our information in an alternate format by contacting us at https://hpepublichealth.ca/accessible-service/

We want to ensure this bulletin is as useful as possible. Please send your questions, comments and suggestions to klarose@hpeph.ca

Contact Information: 

To give us your comments: klarose@hpeph.ca

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