Tag: Covid-19

Police Issue Fine – Group Broke Rules on Gatherings

John Draper

For some time now, a group of people have demonstrated in front of Victoria Hall every Saturday; they don’t like the restrictions mandated by the Province as a result of the pandemic.  Police have been patiently warning them and I have declined to give them publicity.  But today they went too far and at around 1:50 pm Police issued a ticket.  According to a statement by Police Chief Paul Vandegraaf, there were between twenty and twenty-five individuals on scene. He said that “Officers spoke with individuals/the group requesting they comply with the Shutdown Zone gathering limits, and the group was educated on the current provincial restrictions regarding outdoor gatherings.”  A previous statement by Police said that “If residents refuse to… Read complete articlePolice Issue Fine – Group Broke Rules on Gatherings

Vaccine Update – 31 March

John Draper

Cobourg is in the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit which is headed up by a Medical Officer of Health (MOH).   This position was held by Dr. Lynn Noseworthy up to her retirement on December 11, 2020 and for the last four months Dr. Ian Gemmill has come out of retirement to do the job in an “acting” role.  He has conducted weekly media sessions that provided good information that could be disseminated but now the new Medical Officer of Health – Dr. Natalie Bocking – will take over on April 5 (see photo below).  At his final media “Zoom” meeting on March 31, Dr. Gemmill gave his usual informative briefing as outlined below.  He continues to stress that… Read complete articleVaccine Update – 31 March

Vaccine Update – March 10

John Draper

If you follow the Cobourg News Blog Vaccination page, the news below is a repeat of that.  Further, the vaccination page will be updated but this post will only be updated to correct any errors. Dr. Ian Gemmill, Acting local Medical Officer of Health with the local Health unit (HKPR DHU) today gave a comprehensive update on what’s happening with Vaccines in his Area which includes Cobourg. As previously announced, the Cobourg Community Centre will be used as a vaccination centre with the initial group being adults over 80.  (Officially, those born in 1941 or before). Volunteers will be given lists by family doctors and are now calling those eligible to make an appointment for them starting at the CCC… Read complete articleVaccine Update – March 10

Covid-19 Update – Cobourg to Move to Yellow Zone

John Draper

If you have been following the statistics reported on this site (see links below), you will have noticed that the number of new cases has been declining.  Recognising this, the Province has now decided to move the designation of the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge region – which includes Northumberland – from Orange to Yellow effective 12:01 am Monday, March 8.  This will allow “some easing of controls … including for restaurants: the lifting of the 50-person capacity limit, the ability to stay open longer (to midnight) for in-person dining, and a limit of six people (up from four) being able to sit at the same table. Another change is that personal care services requiring the removal of face coverings can… Read complete articleCovid-19 Update – Cobourg to Move to Yellow Zone

Covid-19 Update by HKPR District Health Unit

John Draper

Our District’s Acting Medical officer for Health, Dr. Ian Gemmill, is very helpful in providing regular information on the pandemic. To do this, he holds weekly media briefings and next week will also hold a Virtual Town Hall for the public. With the lockdown to be eased on February 16, there is quite a lot of information to be disseminated this week.  Next Tuesday (the day after family day), Cobourg will move out of the “stay at home order” and into a zone – and according to Dr. Gemmill this will most probably be the Orange zone – see details below. The decision will be made by the Province and announced on Friday. He also said that another 1000 vaccine… Read complete articleCovid-19 Update by HKPR District Health Unit

Shutdown affects Rink and Transit

John Draper

Just like the general public in Ontario, Cobourg Councillors are confused when it comes to interpreting the rules of the latest Provincial shutdown that apply to such things as the outdoor rink and the Transit system.  Town Clerk Brent Larmer said that until he gets the official Regulations from the Province, he cannot give clear advice – that is, he can’t say what the “rules” are.  He hopes to get those regulations no later than when they go into effect which is midnight Wednesday January 13.  Because of the confusion CAO Tracey Vaughan asked for direction from a specially convened emergency session of Council held at 6:00 pm on the 13th.  In the end, all that could be decided was… Read complete articleShutdown affects Rink and Transit

Outdoor Rink gets New Rules

John Draper

With the Provincial lockdown in force starting Boxing day, at a special meeting today Council voted to implement new rules for the Outdoor Rink.  Staff presented three options: 1) continue with no change, 2) add new rules or 3) close the Rink.  The new rules will mean registering in advance for one of 8 daily one hour time slots which will allow only 10 at a time.  The area will be fenced and skaters will be screened and expected to wear a mask and keep 2 meters away from each other.  Any spectators (e.g. parents of small children) will be counted as part of the 10 even if not skating. Fencing and registering is needed because with the previous system,… Read complete articleOutdoor Rink gets New Rules

Cobourg Community Centre closed until January 11

John Draper

Last Friday, the Cobourg Community Centre was closed for the weekend with a promise to thoroughly clean and then reopen Monday morning.  This was because “facility users (came) into close contact with an individual who tested positive for COVID-19”.  While the cleaning and sanitation did happen, the Town’s Emergency Control Group, in consultation with the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit (HKPR DHU), decided to “err on the side of caution and extend the closure of the community centre over the holidays.”  Re-opening is now scheduled for January 11, 2021 although this will depend on a reassessment based on the numbers at that time.  The Town’s announcement said that “the decision was based on overall community safety with the… Read complete articleCobourg Community Centre closed until January 11

Covid-19 Northumberland Update 2

John Draper

The Province has introduced a more complex system of assigning risk levels to Health Districts with five colour coded levels: Green (Prevent), Yellow (Protect), Orange (Restrict), Red (Control) and Grey (Lockdown).  As the labels suggest, these go progressively from mild restrictions to severe.  Cobourg is in the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit and is currently assigned Green.  Links below give more details but I will summarize what this all means for people living in Cobourg.  The whole process is based on science and measurements – the first measure is Weekly Incidence Rate and to be classified as green, this has to be less than 10 cases per 100,000.  At the other end of the scale, Red is more… Read complete articleCovid-19 Northumberland Update 2

Northumberland Covid-19 update

John Draper

The virus is not going away anytime soon – cases in Northumberland continue to rise and now Health authorities are setting up more testing locations.  McGill University recently did a survey of 28 experts and their average response was that a vaccine would not be available until June 2021 or even the Fall.  Meanwhile Trudeau has warned that “Christmas may be in jeopardy”.  As of Tuesday this week, there were 48 confirmed cases in Northumberland – up from 46 on Friday. If you meet certain criteria, up till now you could get tested at Northumberland Hills Hospital or Campbellford Hospital but starting November 4, a location in Port Hope will be added. In all cases, an appointment is necessary –… Read complete articleNorthumberland Covid-19 update