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Elgin County Warden Tom Marks, in a statement Thursday, April 22, announced that while park trails and playgrounds remain open in local municipalities, other outdoor recreational facilities, including golf courses, soccer fields, basketball courts, tennis courts, baseball diamonds and skateparks are shut down because of provincial COVID-19 emergency orders. “Residents must stay home except for…

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, in a news conference on Thursday morning, April 22, acknowledged his government had erred the previous week in giving police additional powers to randomly stop motorists and pedestrians to see if they’re obeying a COVID-19 “stay-at-home” order. The powers were announced late Friday afternoon, April 16, in response to dire predictions…

Southwestern Public Health reported 26 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford on Thursday, April 22, down from 28 on Wednesday. More significantly, the number of ongoing cases being tracked in the region dropped to 168 from 198. However, Southwestern also announced the 75th death in its area linked to COVID-19…

Southwestern Public Health on Wednesday, April 21, reported the 74th death connected to COVID-19 in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford since the pandemic began, a St. Thomas man in his 70s. The health unit also reported 28 confirmed new cases of COVID-19 in the region, up from 12 the previous day. Southwestern is currently tracking…

Aylmer Police have charged four persons with violating COVID-19 emergency orders while at Aylmer Church of God on John Street North on Tuesday night, April 20. In a statement, Police Chief Zvonko Horvat said a complaint from the public about a large gathering at the church was received Tuesday at 8:18 p.m. Officers went to…

Southwestern Public Health, as of Monday, April 19, reported that 42,436 residents of Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford have so far received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. The health unit’s target is 150,000, or three-quarters of all the adults in its region. The number vaccinated to date includes 9,587 in Elgin, 9,340 in…

Starting Tuesday, April 20, anyone 40 and over can receive a COVID-19 immunization using the AstraZeneca vaccine from participating pharmacies and physicians’ offices across Ontario. That was announced by Dr. David Williams, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, on Monday morning, April 19. He stated, “As we continue to fight COVID-19, we are doing everything…

Southwestern Public Health on Monday, April 19, reported 57 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford from the weekend. The current total of ongoing cases in this region stands at 190, down from 198 on Friday. St. Thomas and area decreased to 70 ongoing cases Monday from 74 Friday, Central Elgin…

The Ontario government has reportedly backed off on new powers for police officers allowing them to randomly stop anyone outside their homes to demand to know where they reside and why they are not there, given the province’s current COVID-19 “stay-at-home” order. The new powers were announced Friday, as Ontario continues to see a dramatic…