Worldwide stats provided by worldometers put the global COVID-19 number of reported cases today at 9,381,392. (Deaths: 480,401 and Recovered: 5,068,567) I emphasize reported because there is a wide variance in testing and manner of reporting from country to country and place to place.
As of 6:00 a.m. ET on Wednesday June 24, 2020:
From Global News, Canada reported 101,947 confirmed cases of COVID-19.
The official Province of Ontario website is reporting 33,853 total confirmed cases and 2,619 total deaths. Currently, there are 288 people are in hospital with 75 in ICU. 29,107 cases have been resolved. There are some really cool tracking charts in this article. The number of COVID-19 tests conducted had dipped slightly yesterday, with 16,189 tests processed.
Quebec continues to have the highest reported cases in the country with 54,884.
The Region of Durham reported 1,672 confirmed cases of COVID-19. The site also reports 2 current outbreaks at Hospitals, LTCF's and Retirement Homes with 32 outbreaks having been "concluded." Currently, Clarington remains at 94 cases, where we have sat for over a week.
In international news,
From Brazil, (where there is a lot of crazy shit happening) A Brazilian federal judge on Tuesday ordered President Jair Bolsonaro to comply with local rules to wear a face mask whenever he is outdoors in the capital of Brasilia. In recent weekends, a sometimes unmasked Bolsonaro has joined throngs of people protesting against Brazil's Congress and Supreme Court and he has visited bakeries and outdoor food stalls, drawing crowds around him. Since the end of April, Brazil's federal district requires people to wear face masks in public to help control the spread of the new coronavirus. Failure to comply carries a possible daily fine of $390.
Americans may be among those blocked from visiting European Union countries once they reopen their borders to visitors outside of the continent starting July 1. Kasper Zeuthen, a senior media adviser for the EU’s delegation to the US, said the European Commission will recommend progressively lifting travel restrictions based on objective criteria that measure the scope of the pandemic in each country. EU officials will determine which countries' visitors are allowed by looking at the trend in new infections, testing capacity, contact tracing and other steps countries across the globe have taken to contain the virus outbreak inside their borders. Zeuthen said the European Commission is now considering which countries meet the criteria to lift travel restrictions, with another meeting set for Wednesday.
In national news,
It really effing irks me that the main source of national news is the CBC; of which, I am not a fan. (insert CBC cheer for justin here)
From Chris Selley at the National Post, an opinion piece. Why are we giving Canada's politicians a free pass on COVID-19? "It is one of the strangest aspects of Ontario’s and Quebec’s COVID-19 nightmares that politicians have seemed almost entirely immune from criticism. Indeed, their popularity has soared in stride with the body count: An Angus Reid poll conducted in late May found Quebec Premier François Legault’s approval rating had shot up 19 points, and Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s 38."
From the "No shit!" file, Canada’s Employment Minister admits the government could have “picked better words” to scare off would-be COVID-19 relief program cheats, according to Blacklock’s Reporter. What's the big deal? It's just a few billion more so people can take the summer off, let's face it nobody on the CERB is rushing back to work. Votes bought by justin, good to go.
In Ontario,
All of Ontario goes to Stage 2, today. Except Windsor. The migrant worker situation is complex and a difficult spot for farmers to be in. It's interesting, with COVID-19 it now seems everyone is concerned with the conditions on farms for migrant workers. Prior to COVID-19 what was the level of concern? Just wondering....(Now, eat your tomatoes and shut up) Of course the workers should be treated fairly and humanely, but all the virtue signalling is so.....scripted.
Toronto, Canada’s financial capital, was set for a muted reopening on Wednesday following a three-month shutdown for the coronavirus pandemic, as several of its biggest employers said they would keep staff working from home over the summer.
With Toronto’s reopening, Canada’s three biggest lenders, Royal Bank of Canada (RY.TO), Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD.TO) and Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS.TO), and second-biggest life insurer Sun Life Financial (SLF.TO) told Reuters they don’t intend to bring staff back to offices until at least September.
From London, South Bruce Peninsula is temporarily closing all of its beaches, including the popular Sauble Beach, after the town's mayor said Monday that "day-trippers flagrantly defied our restrictions." Janice Jackson said council decided to temporarily close the beaches after they were overwhelmed with day-trippers over the last two weekends. “Council is incredibly worried at the thought of 60,000 visitors to our tiny beach over the long weekend and how that would inevitably affect our community during this global pandemic,” said Jackson on Facebook. I don't know why, but this story reminds me of the Simpson's episode "Homer vs. the 18th amendment" where Springfield set up roadblocks on their bridges to enforce prohibition.
From the "Get out your wallet" file, As private health services such as dentists, chiropractors and physiotherapists begin to reopen, some have opted to tack on a COVID-19 surcharge in an effort to recoup money spent on new sanitation. However, some experts warn that the move may deter clients. University of Toronto finance professor Lisa Kramer explained that these "COVID fees" are designed to help cover the cost of personal protective equipment (PPE), increased sanitation measures and income lost from reduced customer capacity due to physical distancing.
From Sault Ste. Marie, there are no new cases in the Algoma Region to report. The last case in Algoma was reported on June 19. Currently, there are two active cases in the Algoma region.
In local happenings,
As Clarington enters Stage 2 of Ontario's framework to reopening the Province, they are taking a cautious approach to reopening its amenities and services to protect staff and public health. Clarington has prepared a list of services and amenities showing what is opening:
-Splash Pads - most will open on June 19; some will be active on June 20, except for the Orono splash pad, which is closed for park construction.
-Modified Summer Camps will start on July 20.
-Bowmanville Indoor Soccer.
-Swimming pools will not reopen at this time.
-Indoor facility permits will be cancelled up until Labour Day as our facilities remain under a Provincial closure order. Outdoor field permits will also not be issued at this time. Fields are open for residents to use following all Provincial orders, especially physical distancing. Limited team training is allowed, including small-scale drills based on physical distancing. Team practice and scrimmages are not permitted.
-Town Hall will reopen to the public on July 13.
-Other buildings will slowly follow reopening protocols.
Community-transmitted COVID-19 in Clarington appears considerably higher than other Durham municipalities and Health Department epidemiologists are trying to find out why. Across Durham, 20 per cent of COVID-19 cases are from community exposure. Meanwhile in Clarington, 41 per cent of the cases were from community exposure, according to the region’s COVID-19 Data Tracker. “This is something they are looking into,” said Glendene Collins, a spokesperson for the Durham Region Health Department. “I know it is something they have seen and they want to do a further analysis.” The community-transmission rate of coronavirus in Durham municipalities ranges from a low of approximately four per cent (Uxbridge) to the second highest of 29 per cent (Whitby). Clarington’s community-transmitted virus cases appear to be an outlier.
In most Durham municipalities, the majority of COVID-19 cases are from institutional outbreaks at long-term-care homes. Durham-wide, 56 per cent of case sources are from institutional outbreaks (24 per cent staff and 32 per cent residents). Long-term-care facilities in Clarington have largely been spared, with only one outbreak declared after one resident tested positive for COVID-19. The data tacker suggests Clarington’s institutional outbreaks account for only 25 per cent of the local COVID-19 cases (23 per cent staff, and almost two per cent resident).
Musing,
Punching is just like a golf swing. You ain't gotta swing for the fences, you just gotta connect.
MLB baseball is back! MLB sets a 60-game schedule, opens July 23 or 24. A dramatically altered season with games full of new rules was the final result of failed financial negotiations. But for fans eager to see any baseball this year, at least now they can look forward to opening day. Each team will play 10 games against each of its four division rivals and 20 total games against the five clubs in the corresponding regional division in the other league.
From Wired Magazine, here is how the phone tracking apps are going to work. Click here.
Prior to the prolonged work from home we are now experiencing, I had no idea how critical it was to ensure that an entire house was being cleaned (loudly) all day long. Everyday. Constantly.
Environment Canada confirmed a tornado touched down near Sturgeon Lake yesterday. For some really good video, click here. This is an actual photo that was taken of the tornado:
Today, is National Pralines Day. Good to know.
Clarington Tourism Businesses and Attractions Directory can be found here.
CERB abuse reporting https://apps.cra-arc.gc.ca/ebci/bscs/l3adz/internet/initial.do?target=login&lang=en&program=qa">can be done here.
To book a COVID-19 test in Durham Region, click here.
Lakeridge Health Mental Health Clinic 905-440-7534 or toll free at 1-833-392-7363 (Monday-Friday 9am-4pm)
Live coronavirus map of Canada: Tracking every case of COVID-19 in the country.
Hunting/fishing related updates in Ontario can be found here.
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