Grocery stores across Canada have begun installing plexiglass screens at checkout counters as a means of making the necessary job of shopping safer from the coronavirus. This is a shot from a Loblaws in Langley, BC. City News report.
The Ontario Ministry of Health has announced that Wednesday morning’s count of additional COVID-19 cases is 100. It brings the total of confirmed active cases in the province to 671.
LRT workers at Black Creek positive for virus
The Black Creek LRT site known as West Portal One has been shut down temporarily after three workers tested positive for COVID-19. One employee is confirmed to have the virus and two others are presumptive positive but are waiting for official confirmation from the national lab in Winnipeg.
Public transit a perilous place
Evidence that public transit is a perilous place was revealed again Wednesday when Peel Region Transit revealed that a bus driver had tested positive for COVID-19 and that he had worked on four routes in recent days. Peel Region Health has said that riders on these routes are not believed to be at any “additional risk” of contracting the virus but the rationale here isn’t clear. They say that the driver is currently self-isolating at home. Earlier in March, it was revealed that a man who had recently returned from Egypt and then proven positive had ridden the Hamilton-Toronto GO bus several days in a row.
A two-year-old boy has been fatally injured outside the front door of an apartment at Richview Rd and Scarlett Rd. The tragic events unfolded Tuesday afternoon as the driver, 25, waited outside the apartment for a passenger. Once aboard, he put the car in reverse and struck a mother and her boy who were also exiting the apartment. The accident recalls the life-saving nature of backup signals on cars. Police are asking local residents, businesses, and drivers, who may have security or dash-camera footage of the area or incident, to contact investigators at (416) 808-1900.
Absurd bitcoin scam goes on virus or no virus
Police are warning of ongoing attempts to swindle people and get away with it by using the anonymous bitcoin currency. In reality, the untraceable bitcoin has become one of the best friends ever found by criminal minds. This time victims are told their social insurance number has been compromised and asked to convert their cash to bitcoin to protect their assets. It’s an absurd idea but of course sooner or later someone falls for it.
Canadians and people everywhere may find some hope in the imminent defeat of the COVID-19 virus in China. The country will have been in lockdown for 76 days when travel restrictions are lifted on April 8. If this report is correct, community transmission has been reduced to nothing. Some 78 cases were detected Monday, almost all attributable to travellers arriving from Europe and elsewhere.
Leaders are making daily announcements during the COVID-19 crisis. Premier Ford announced has reduced hydro rates applying for a minimum of 45 days.
The Ministry of Health has announced an additional 85 newly-confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection in Ontario Tuesday bringing the total of confirmed active cases in the province to 573. Details of the latest ministry report may be seen at the government website. Perhaps the most worrisome number is that for cases under investigation, which has leaped to 10,074. Tuesday’s confirmed cases (85) exceed a previous high of 78 reported on Monday. As the daily load of cases creeps upward health officials and the public will watch for evidence that this number might explode as seen in some European jurisdictions. Or, is the firm quarantine and shutdown strategy at least controlling the spread of the infection?
Global News says the Liberal government will change the bill set to be tabled Tuesday that would have granted the finance minister Mr. Morneau sweeping powers to spend money and raise taxes without Parliamentary approval. In a tweet late Monday night, the leader of the government in the House of Commons, Pablo Rodriguez, said that it would make changes to the federal government’s emergency response to the novel coronavirus. “We consulted with the opposition and will bring changes to the draft legislation,” read Rodriguez’s tweet. “We will always work collaboratively and respect the fundamental role of Parliament. The bill, which Global News has seen, was later denounced by the opposition in a statement from Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer on Monday night.
A resident at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre veterans care facility has tested positive for COVID-19. A release from Sunnybrook says that the person is currently self-isolating in his room and is doing well. Access to the care centre is normally controlled to friends and family of residents. It’s unclear whether the transmission occurred before or after more stringent visiting measures were recently put in place. Authorities are now working backwards through the names of visitors to try to trace the source of the transmission.
The toilet paper chronicles are being written daily by South Bayview residents at Leaside Community. The elusive household necessity is seen here and there but seldom for long, it seems.
The Ontario government has declared that schools will not re-open April 6 as planned but will stay closed indefinitely. Premier Ford also said the province will require the closure of all non-essential businesses. Toronto Sun
Toronto Fire Service has extinguished a fire in a vacant building at Wellington St and Spadina Ave during the Monday noon hour.
The Ministry of Health has announced 78 new cases of COVID 19 on Monday. The total number of cases in the province now stands at 489 active cases. There have been six deaths. Once again, authorities seem to be struggling to grasp all the details of each case. Of the new cases with a location listed, 15 are in Toronto, eight are in York Region, six are in Peel Region, three are in Durham Region, three are in Hamilton and two are in Halton Region. Ministry of Health
