Posts by Rob Perry

Elgin-St. Thomas drops to two confirmed cases

Southwestern Public Health on Friday, June 19, was reporting only two ongoing cases of COVID-19 confirmed by medical testing in Elgin and St. Thomas. One of two ongoing cases in St. Thomas has recovered. That leaves one in St. Thomas and a relatively new case in Dutton Dunwich. Meanwhile, Oxford County has five cases, three…

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COVID-19 back in an Elgin municipality

COVID-19 has returned to an Elgin County municipality, with a single new case confirmed by medical testings in Dutton Dunwich, Southwestern Public Health reported on Tuesday, June 16. St. Thomas continues to have two ongoing confirmed cases. In Oxford County, three ongoing cases are reported in East Zorra-Tavistock, and one in Tillsonburg.

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Haldimand-Norfolk to move to Phase 2

Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced Monday, June 13, that Haldimand-Norfolk on Friday, June 19, would move to the second phase of the province’s plan to restart the Ontario economy as progress is made in the fight against COVID-19. Southwestern Public Health, which includes Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford, moved to Phase 2 as of Friday,…

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Reach out and touch…up to nine others

Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced Friday, June 12, that public health guidelines for the COVID-19 pandemic were being relaxed to allow everyone to have a “social circle’ of up to 10 persons in total that they could feel free to touch and hug, ignoring physical distancing. He said that would allow families and friends to…

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Cases increase in Oxford

Three new cases in East Zorra-Tavistock have brought the number of ongoing incidents of COVID-19 in Oxford County to four. The fourth case is in Tillsonburg. Southwestern Public Health continues to report two ongoing cases in St. Thomas, and none in Elgin County municipalities.

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Visits to long-term care and other homes to resume June 18

Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced Thursday, June 11, that visits to long-term care homes would be allowed to resume starting Thursday, June 18, but on a “cautious” basis, along with retirement homes and “congregate living” facilities for children, persons with developmental disabilities and those sheltering from gender-based violence. The province restricted such homes to only…

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Elgin beaches to open Monday, June 22

Central Elgin Mayor Sally Martyn, right, with some fellow municipal councillors and emergency services representatives, announced Thursday, June 11, that beaches in Port Stanley would re-open to the public on Monday, June 22. The same was true for municipal beaches in Bayham, Malahide and West Elgin, plus Grand Bend in Lambton Shores, she said. The…

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Elgin beaches won’t re-open this weekend, possibly longer

Central Elgin Administrator Don Leitch said Monday night, June 8, that Port Stanley beaches wouldn’t be opening this coming weekend, and neither would other municipal beaches in Elgin County. He told Central Elgin councillors that a joint task force involving the four Elgin municipalities that had public Lake Erie beaches, along with Southwestern Public Health…

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You can get a haircut starting Friday

Hair salons,  barbershops and other personal service businesses, except for those providing facial services, will be allowed to re-open this Friday as most of Ontario moves to “Phase 2” of its plan to get the provincial economy moving again. Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced Monday, June 8, the government was taking a regional approach to…

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Down to just three area cases of COVID-19

Southwestern Public Health was reporting just three ongoing confirmed cases of COVID-19 in St. Thomas and Oxford County on Saturday, June 6. Two are in St. Thomas, and are related to the recent institutional outbreak at Ontario Plants Propagation in Southwold. One remains in Tillsonburg. No cases are reported in Elgin County municipalities. Most infected…

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