The South Bayview Bulldog

Dr. Isaac Bogoch

What’s going wrong in suburban Toronto?

The Ministry of Health has seen the number of new COVID-19 cases jump up to 404 Monday prompting virus expert Dr. Isaac Bogoch of the University Health Network to say results like this are not good enough. Dr. Bogoch told CP24 that even the lower range of 300 cases a day seen recently is way too many after two full months of lockdown.

What’s going wrong?

His concern raises the question as to what exactly is going wrong. COVID-19 is insidious but its spread is a function of human behaviour. The government announced last week that testing units would visit workplaces and that “pop-up” mobile testing centres would target hard-hit neighbourhoods. A recently released map of virus incidence in the GTA shows the northeast and northwest areas to be very hard hit. And more than 66 percent of cases of the infection have occurred in the GTA.

Premier says latest spike is foreign workers

An outbreak of COVID-19 in temporary foreign workers is responsible for a sudden jump in cases, Premier Doug Ford says. “One of the reasons they jumped up is 81 migrant workers in southwestern Ontario tested positive,” Ford said. “Overall in the testing, outside of that spike there, it’s looking better.”

Heartbreaking letter from owners of Yummy House, 234 Jones Ave.

A heartbreaking letter from the owners of Yummy House on Jones Ave. tells of the end of a dream, smashed by the COVID-19 pandemic. It speaks not just of the end of a much-admired local shop but of a national crisis among small business people and the communities that rely on them. Facebook.

Yummy House

Toronto Police have posted a picture of a stolen dump trick taken Saturday at 12:03 a.m. from an industrial complex at Jane Street and Wilson Avenue. It’s a Kenworth truck selling new for at least $130,000.

Kenworth dump truck

OPP Highway Safety Division has tweeted that a G1 class driver got his vehicle back from a 7-day impoundment Thursday and on Friday he was stopped and charged with impaired driving and seven other offenses. Vehicle impoundment

The Ministry of Health reports 326 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday. That’s comparable to the 323 cases reported Saturday and adds support to the official view that the infection is generally in decline across Ontario. Once again, the GTA is shown to have accounted for 66 percent of all cases of the infection. Daily summaries

New benches instsalled/Jennifer Peattie

The installation of benches at the decorative metalworks at Bayview Ave. and Millwood Rd. has inspired a lively discussion at the Leaside Community Facebook page. The generally approving comment is interspersed with criticism from a couple of naysayers complaining about the cost of the benches and pollution at this intersection. The benches are part of improvements made to the street by the Bayview-Leaside BIA. FB

Ontarians who rely on prescription medication will hopefully see an onerous COVID-19 precaution lifted by the end of June. A 30-day limit on prescriptions was brought in by Ontario on March 20th in an effort to prevent drug shortages during the pandemic. Spokespeople for Ontario’s seniors community and the province’s pharmacy industry say they expect the limitation will be lifted within the month. That means a return to the usual 90-day maximum allotment for prescriptions by July 1st. That policy includes a subsidy for people on the Ontario Drug Benefit Program, which is also scheduled to expire on July 1st — Canadian Press

The Ministry of Health has counted 323 new cases of COVID-19 Saturday, a slight decline from 344 cases Friday. This report says provincial health units performed 20,640 tests in the preceding 24 hours, a record high

Early warning system/CBC

Science has revealed that humans excrete evidence of the coronavirus many days before they show symptoms of the disease. Some say it’s a good idea to test the water and get a jump on a second-wave of the virus. Then, Canada has decided to ban huge cruise ships from its ports until at least October 31. Makes sense. Finally, the appalling human cost of rampant COVID-19 is seen in Brazil’s largest City, Sao Paulo, where mass graves are being dug to bury victims.

Masks on and thumbs up to accept food donations at Valu-Mart parking lot on Bayview Ave.

Donations to the Thorncliffe Food Drive can be made Saturday between noon and 4 p.m at the Valu-Mary parking lot at Bayview and Davisville Aves. Food drive drop off, horn-honk pickup offered on weekend

On the same day a black bear roamed a Barrie neighborhood, comes this report from the Ottawa Sun about a moose found splashing about in a family swimming pool.

The Ministry of Health reports 344 new cases of COVID-19 infection Friday, down from 383 Thursday. List of daily summaries dating back to March 27 here.