December 18, 2020

2 & 60 MORE CASES COULD SEE US IN REAL ‘LOCKDOWN’ BOXING DAY

SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — Muskoka and Simcoe may be included in massive “Southern Ontario” lockdown measures Boxing Day as the region was hit with 62 cases Friday.

Two of them are a man and woman from Huntsville.

Premier Doug Ford said today’s 2,290 COVID cases are “very, very concerning” and that an emergency meeting this afternoon between the province and Ontario hospital officials will flesh out the details.

Reports say sources around Queen’s Park claim “Northern Ontario” will be exempt from more severe restrictions yet to be announced for eight days from now. And last until Jan. 11.

The two Muskoka cases are a male, 45-64, who is under investigation; and a female, aged 65-79, whose case was community acquired.

This week’s running count for Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit totals 321 — a dozen shy of 333 last week.

These Dec. 18 cases include four more people since yesterday who are in hospital — bringing that number to 17.

Health unit figures show them as being among 2,898 people with the coronavirus this year.

There are now 448 active cases — 64 new ones today.

Among the 2,377 who have recovered, 27 did so in the past day.

Elsewhere, in total today Ontario is reporting 2,290 cases and 40 deaths.

That means the seven-day average is a record 2,089 cases daily, or 100 weekly per 100,000, government figures show.

Toronto accounted for 691 of those, Peel 361, York 296, Windsor-Essex 207, Hamilton 126 and Durham 89.

In the neighbouring provinces: Quebec reported 1,773 cases and 36 deaths; Manitoba 350 and 10 dead.

NOTES:

Post Ottawa golf course banks more than $1 million surplus through workers’ wage subsidies.
Trudeau says 500,000 more vaccine doses scheduled for early new year.
Ottawa and the CRA won’t go after people who in “good faith” made mistake in applying and getting CERB payment.
You think it’s bad here, try reading south of the border for more horror health stories — if you dare.

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**Hunker down for more restrictions, as there appears to be no stopping COVID in Ontario. Enough people aren’t getting the message.**