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Good morning, Sudbury! Here are seven stories to start your day

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John Hall sent us this photo he took over the winter around Greater Sudbury. We still want to see your amazing images of the gorgeous landscape of our city, but there is more to Greater Sudbury than our rocks and trees and animals. There are some incredible photographers in our city who aren't shooting landscapes; they're shooting our urban centres, our people, our growth and our decay — we want to see all of these. Send high-resolution images to [email protected]. (John Hall/for Sudbury.com)

Good morning, Greater Sudbury.

Here are some stories to start your day.

Sudbury's first COVID-19 patient 'shocked' when he tested positive:

The man who will forever be known as Greater Sudbury's first positive case of COVID-19 said he is back to 100 per cent, and if there is a silver lining in being diagnosed, it's that Sudburians finally started to realize just how big a deal the virus really is. Stewart Hamilton, a Ministry of Northern Development and Mines geologist who works out of the Willet Green Miller Centre at Laurentian University, said the only lagging symptom he's experiencing from COVID-19 is a slight lack of smell, but otherwise, he's back to normal. It was announced by Public Health Sudbury & Districts on March 10 that Hamilton was the city's first positive case of the virus, although they did not release his name to the public. Health officials revealed Hamilton had attended the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada mining conference in Toronto, where they believe he was infected with COVID-19. It set in motion a series of events that has now led to a state of emergency for Greater Sudbury, which has 26 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Only essential businesses have been allowed to remain open, and an unprecedented number of people are now temporarily unemployed as a result. Full story here.

Absolutely unacceptable': Unhappy with testing numbers, Ford wants 13,000 COVID-19 tests done per day:

Ontario Premier Doug Ford didn't mince words during his daily press conference on Wednesday when speaking about where the majority of his focus lies in terms of the province's efforts against COVID-19. Ford said that there are two things that he has been zoned in on: personal protective equipment (PPE) and COVID-19 testing, which he hasn't weighed in on heavily before Wednesday. "What is absolutely unacceptable are the numbers of testing that we're doing," said Ford. "I may not understand health, but what people understand around this province and what I understand are numbers, and we also understand countries that have tested and that have ramped up testing have shown results." The premier has set a benchmark for the province to carry out 13,000 COVID-19 tests daily, starting with long-term care workers and frontline health care workers. "As I mentioned to our (COVID-19) command table and to the CEO (of Ontario Health, Matt Anderson) last night, my patience has run thin and no more excuses," said Ford. "It's unacceptable, we have the capacity now. Before, I understand we didn't have the re-agent (a necessary component of testing), we didn't have all the testing. We have the testing capabilities, we have the assessment centres capabilities, we have the re-agent — we say we can do 13,000 a day? Then we need to start doing 13,000 every single day." You can watch Ford's press conference from Wednesday here.

COVID-19 a 'frightening' spectre at Sudbury long-term care homes:

COVID-19 has been deadly in Canadian nursing homes, and as the administrator of one of the largest long-term care homes in Ontario, Aaron Archibald said the situation has caused him some sleepless nights. “This has been the most daunting challenge that I have faced in my two-and-a-half years here,” said the administrator of Pioneer Manor, a 433-bed City of Greater Sudbury-run facility. “I have absolutely lost sleep over this. To be totally truthful, this absolutely scares me.” Although Archibald said there is no COVID-19 in Pioneer Manor, it's not hard to see why the situation is daunting. An outbreak at the 65-bed Pinecrest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon, Ont., has now claimed the lives of 28 people, including 27 residents and one spouse of a resident. Six residents of the Hillsdale Terraces Long-Term Care Home in Oshawa have died of COVID-19. Another major outbreak at the Sainte-Dorothée long-term care centre in Laval, Que. has killed eight. Further away, in North Vancouver's Lynn Valley Care Centre, 17 residents who contracted the virus have died, and there have been 11 deaths at Calgary's McKenzie Towne Continuing Care Centre. Archibald said about 70 per cent of Pioneer Manor's residents have dementia, so don't have the ability to keep track of world events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the high death toll at long-term care homes. More on this story here.

Should I be washing my groceries and other COVID-19 questions answered by Dr. Penny Sutcliffe:

Dr. Penny Sutcliffe, the chief medical officer of health for the region and the CEO of Public Health Sudbury & Districts, doesn’t wash or wipe down her groceries when she gets them home, but she says if it makes you feel better to do so, by all means go ahead. Yes, the virus that causes COVID-19 can live on surfaces for anywhere from a few hours to a few days, depending on the conditions and the surface, but if you’re following directives to wash your hands and avoid touching your face, that’s the best protection, Sutcliffe said this week. And people should be washing their fruits and vegetables before they eat them anyway, but it’s not necessary to do that in soap and water. Get the full story here.

Largest jump yet: Ontario COVID-19 cases spike by 550 over the 5,000 mark:

Ontario's confirmed COVID-19 cases jumped by 550 to 5,276 Wednesday, the largest single-day jump in cases of the virus in the province yet. There are also 21 more COVID-19 deaths reported in Ontario, with the total now sitting at 174. The Ministry of Health reports 2,074 COVID-19 cases that are “resolved,” meaning the person has recovered. A total of 84,601 people have been tested for the virus in the province, and 1,102 people are still under investigation for COVID-19. Ontario has 605 people in hospital for the virus. Of those, 246 are in the ICU, and 195 are in the ICU on a ventilator. Public Health Sudbury & Districts is still reporting 26 confirmed positive COVID-19 cases. The last positive case was reported Saturday. One person has died from COVID-19 in this region. The health unit says there are 14 resolved cases. A total of 1,052 tests have been done in this region to date, with 773 people testing negative, and 253 people currently under investigation.

WATCH: We speak with Sudbury MPP Jamie West about the gov't response to COVID-19:

Sudbury MPP Jamie West joined Sudbury.com editor Mark Gentili for a live chat on Wednesday. How has the province been faring in the COVID-19 fight? What is the role of the opposition at times like these? What does the NDP think Ontario should be doing to limit the spread? You can watch the discussion here.

A little sunshine': Facebook groups connect Sudburians helping each other through COVID-19 pandemic:

As Sudburians try to adjust to the “new normal” of the COVID-19 pandemic, a couple of Facebook groups have been created to help people cope. One of them is called “Let's Stick Together Sudbury,” and was created by Corissa Green about three weeks ago. It now has 2,760 members. There is also a similar Facebook group called “Sudbury Community Care & Mutual Aid for COVID-19” with nearly 1,600 members. A scroll through the posts turns up everything from tips on where you can purchase hand sanitizer or cleaning wipes to requests from those in self-isolation for people willing to do grocery runs to people offering up donations of food and other supplies to questions about accessing EI. Find out more here.

Thursday Weather:

Chilly day ahead for Thursday with chances of some flurries tonight. Mix of sun and cloud today with a 40 per cent chance of flurries in the morning, changing to rain by the afternoon. The high will only get up to 3 today. Cloudy skies overhead this evening with a 60 per cent chance of flurries. Overnight low will dip to -4, feeling like -9 with the wind chill. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.

Current Weather

Mostly Cloudy

Mostly Cloudy

-4.0°C

Pressure
101.5 falling
Visibility
24.1 km
Dewpoint
-8.0 °C
Humidity
74%
Wind
W 7 km/h

Radar Satellite


Hourly Forecast

Today
3 AM
-6°C
Cloudy
Today
4 AM
-6°C
Cloudy
Today
5 AM
-6°C
Cloudy
Today
6 AM
-6°C
Cloudy
Today
7 AM
-6°C
Cloudy
Today
8 AM
-6°C
Cloudy
Today
9 AM
-4°C
Cloudy
Today
10 AM
-2°C
Cloudy
Today
11 AM
0°C
Cloudy
Today
12 PM
0°C
Overcast
Today
1 PM
0°C
Overcast
Today
2 PM
0°C
Overcast

7 Day Forecast

Chance of flurries

Tonight

-6 °C

Cloudy. 60 percent chance of flurries early this evening. Wind southwest 20 km/h gusting to 40 becoming light this evening. Low minus 6. Wind chill near minus 10.


Overcast

Friday

3 °C

Overcast. Wind becoming west 20 km/h near noon. High plus 3. Wind chill minus 8 in the morning. UV index 2 or low.


Cloudy

Friday night

-7 °C

Cloudy. Wind up to 15 km/h. Low minus 7. Wind chill minus 12 overnight.


Chance of flurries

Saturday

3 °C

A mix of sun and cloud with 40 percent chance of flurries. High plus 3.


Chance of flurries

Saturday night

-6 °C

Cloudy with 40 percent chance of flurries. Low minus 6.


Sunny

Sunday

6 °C

Sunny. High 6.


Clear

Sunday night

-4 °C

Clear. Low minus 4.


Sunny

Monday

9 °C

Sunny. High 9.


Cloudy

Monday night

-3 °C

Cloudy. Low minus 3.


A mix of sun and cloud

Tuesday

4 °C

A mix of sun and cloud. High plus 4.


Chance of flurries or rain showers

Tuesday night

-3 °C

Cloudy periods with 30 percent chance of flurries or rain showers. Low minus 3.


Chance of flurries or rain showers

Wednesday

5 °C

A mix of sun and cloud with 40 percent chance of flurries or rain showers. High plus 5.


Yesterday

Low
-4.4 °C
High
1.6 °C
Precipitation
1.2 mm

Normals

Low
-7.1 °C
High
3.2 °C
Average
-2.0 °C

Sunrise and Sunset

Sunrise
7:08 AM
Sunset
7:50 PM

Record Values

Type Year Value
Max 1977 14.7 C
Min 1970 -22.2 C
Rainfall 2009 26.6 mm
Snowfall 1975 8.1 cm
Precipitation 2009 27.2 mm
Snow On Ground 1959 94.0 cm

Based on Environment Canada data