Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit will not be reporting any new COVID-19 cases in the region or updating its website until Tuesday, May 19.
Public Health Ontario has reported 391 new cases of COVID-19 today, as well as 33 deaths and 379 recoveries.
The province’s daily epidemiological report states there are 414 lab-confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Simcoe-Muskoka region. The local health unit has posted information to its website for 406 of those cases.
In Collingwood, the health unit reports there have been 15 cases confirmed in local residents, including three women who are residents at Collingwood Nursing Home, one in her 80s, on in her 90s, and one in her 100s. Of Collingwood’s total cases, nine people have recovered, and one person is in hospital.
The outbreak at Collingwood Nursing Home is the first of its kind for the region, as the positive test results were found in three women without symptoms as part of the provincially-mandated universal testing of staff and residents at long-term care facilities. The three cases found in the female residents there are, thus far, the only reported cases in that outbreak.
The region’s medical officer of health, Dr. Charles Gardner, said he would like to see the province consider low-risk options for relaxing social rules as it moves forward with re-opening businesses.
Gardner said there’s “room” for more social contact, and suggested that could be accomplished with relatively low risk by allowing people to expand their social bubbles to outside of their household while still keeping those bubbles contained to about ten people.
The province has also announced public libraries may restart delivery and pickup services, and the CEO of the Collingwood Public Library said they will work to gradually re-open with the first step being a curbside pickup service for library materials.
Businesses that were denied or did not qualify for federal relief funding may apply for an interest-free loan through a regional relief fund. More information here.
A Collingwood couple celebrated their 72nd wedding anniversary with a walk down memory lane, thanks to the chef and staff at Chartwell Retirement Home. The chef recreated their wedding feast to mark the occasion.
After reaching out to the community for some specialized help, Collingwood General and Marine Hospital received 300 hand-sewn reusable surgical gowns. The gowns were made by dozens of community volunteers, and efforts are still underway to continue making gowns for other health care professionals preparing to reopen their practices soon.
The Collingwood COVID-19 Assessment Centre will remain open for the long weekend with normal hours of operation (9 a.m. to 8 p.m.). You can get tested by calling ahead to make an appointment. The assessment centre is only testing people with at least one COVID-19 symptom.
