Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Health unit confirms fourth case of COVID-19 in Sudbury:
Dr. Penny Sutcliffe, Sudbury and Districts Medical Officer of Health, is reporting that a woman in her 70s is the fourth confirmed case of COVID-19 in the Sudbury and Manitoulin districts. The case is travel-related and is not related to previously reported cases. “We know that this individual wore a mask during all of her air travels and immediately self-isolated as a precaution upon returning to Canada—she carefully followed all current public health direction,” said Dr. Sutcliffe. “We are working closely with the individual to identify any contacts who require follow-up from Public Health,” said Dr. Sutcliffe. The individual remains in self-isolation at home where she has been isolated since her return to Canada. She was assessed and tested at Health Sciences North’s COVID-19 Assessment Centre on March 18. Staff took all necessary precautions for infection control, testing, and assessment. The individual travelled on international and domestic flights. March 17, 2020: Fort Myers (Florida) to Toronto Pearson Airport on Air Canada flight AC1975 and March 17, 2020: Toronto Pearson Airport to Greater Sudbury Airport on Air Canada flight AC8611. More on this story here.
Doug Ford announces Ontario to close all non-essential businesses:
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is ordering the closure of all non-essential businesses in the province to help deal with the spread of COVID-19. He says the order will be effective Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. and will be in place for at least 14 days. Ford says the next 36 hours will give non-essential businesses the chance to prepare. He says he will release the list of businesses Tuesday that will be allowed to stay open, but food will remain on the grocery store shelves and people will still have access to medication. The premier says it was a tough decision, but now is not the time for half measures. You can watch Ford's press conference from Monday here.
'Health Sciences North needs N95 masks,' says doctor in Facebook callout:
With mounting concerns from health-care providers about the decreasing inventory of N95 masks, a Sudbury doctor is asking anyone with excess masks to donate them. On March 20, Dr. Lacey Pitre put a callout on Facebook for donations of N95 masks, joining other communities like Windsor and the County of Essex in asking anyone with a surplus for donations. She called it a “request of the utmost importance.” “Health Sciences North needs N95 masks. Are you a dentist, veterinarian, construction worker? Vale, Glencore? Do you have masks for HSN?” Vale in Sudbury took note of the post, and said it would donate 500 masks as a result. Several other commenters in the thread said the had a number of maskes they are willing to donate. HSN said in its daily bulletin a new shipment of N95 masks has arrived at the Ramsey Lake Health Centre, weeks ahead of its expected delivery. Find the full story here.
Tuesday's city council meeting not open to the public:
Greater Sudbury city council will be going ahead with their regular meeting on Tuesday, but in a bit of a different format. To ensure the practice of proper social distancing measures, and to help prevent the potential spread of COVID-19 in the community, Tuesday’s city council meeting will not be open for the public to attend in person. Residents are encouraged to watch the meeting online at www.greatersudbury.ca/livestream or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GreaterSudbury. Eastlink Community TV also provides a broadcast of meetings. The Tuesday, March 24 regular Council meeting begins at 6 p.m.
Criminal, family trials on hold as Ontario court takes new steps on COVID-19:
All family and criminal trials before the Ontario Court of Justice are being suspended in light of growing concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. The court, which handles the bulk of Ontario's criminal cases but does not have jury trials, announced today it is further reducing its operations during the public health crisis. As a result, it says trials and preliminary inquiries will be put on hold until June, unless a judge orders otherwise. Judicial officials will remain available to preside over urgent matters. They will also handle some regularly scheduled matters, such as bail, remands and pleas for accused people in custody. The court says it will rely on video and audio technology whenever possible to remotely address criminal matters involving people in custody.
Huntington introduces $25,000 bursary for Sudbury's post-secondary students impacted by COVID-19:
Huntington University is establishing the Huntington Helps Emergency Bursary Fund – a $25,000 COVID-19 response initiative to assist post-secondary students in need, across the Greater Sudbury community. “The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted daily life for many people, including our own community and local post-secondary institutions. This is a time for all communities to come together, and offer help where and when it is needed most,” said Dr. Kevin McCormick, President and Vice-Chancellor of Huntington University. “Huntington University’s core values of civic leadership, as well as community service beyond the walls of the university, call upon us as an institution of higher learning to reach out to all university and community college students in our community during this critical time in our country.” Applications to the Huntington Helps Emergency Bursary Fund will be accepted on an ongoing basis, until the fund has been exhausted. Only those students who are successful in their application will be contacted. Visit huntingtonu.ca for more information about the Huntington Helps Emergency Bursary Fund, and how to apply. Applications are open to university and community college students enrolled at post-secondary institutions in Greater Sudbury.
With most Canadians trying to get home, this Sudbury man is trying to get out of the country:
While most Canadians are trying to get back into the country, Dan de Chevigny wants nothing more than to leave it. That's because de Chevigny, who lived in Sudbury before moving halfway around the world, has a wife, a newborn son and two stepchildren living in Tyumen, Russia. His son, Adrian, was born Feb. 25. De Chevigny returned to Ontario on March 10 because his visa expired. He had to come back to apply his new work visa to his passport. He's been self-isolating since he arrived. Staying away from other people isn't posing a problem, though. “I used to self-isolate before it was cool, so it doesn't bother me. Although I would like to be able to do my own shopping,” de Chevigny said. He was supposed to return to Tyumen March 27, but that was before Russia announced March 16 it is restricting border crossings to foreigners effective March 18 and lasting through May 1 to help stem the coronavirus outbreak. Get the full story here.
Tuesday Weather:
Mainly sunny Tuesday with some mild temperatures ahead. It's going to feel like -7 with the wind chill this morning, warming up by the afternoon. Tuesday's high will get up to around 5. A few clouds overhead tonight with the temperature dropping to -5. It's going to feel like -9 with the wind chill overnight. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.