BARRIE, ONT. Two more ski resorts are now open, as officials in ski country plead with visitors to stay put. Collingwood s mayor recently asked residents not to leave town and out-of-towners to stay away, saying, This is not the time to be travelling. Mayor Brian Saunderson isn t the only person worried that tourists from grey-lockdown zones may travel north. Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit s medical officer of health, Dr. Charles Gardner, advises the public not to travel between coloured zones. Gardner says he would like Ontario to step in with tougher travel restrictions. It would be helpful for the province to be very vocal about this.
BARRIE, ONT. Ontario s hospitals are calling for stricter lockdowns in regions hard-hit by COVID-19, which could potentially include Simcoe Muskoka. The Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) is asking the government to implement a four-week lockdown in every region in the red zone of the COVID-19 framework. The request comes one day after Ontario told hospitals to prepare for an influx of patients as COVID-19 cases surge across the province. The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit s (SMDHU) medical officer of health, Dr. Charles Gardner, said earlier this week that the region s average daily growth in confirmed cases is 1.8 per cent. Gardner said that if the infection rate doesn t slow, the number of cases will double.
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A letter has been sent to Premier Doug Ford asking for the District of Muskoka’s COVID-19 numbers to be reported separately from Simcoe County’s.
The Bracebridge Chamber of Commerce, Bracebridge BIA, Muskoka Lakes Chamber of Commerce, Huntsville BIA, the Huntsville/Lake of Bays Chamber of Commerce and Muskoka Tourism are the ones that penned the letter.
“The recent move of the entire Simcoe Muskoka Health Unit into the Control/Red zone is unfairly hindering our residents and our businesses ability to provide services and goods to our community and possibly survive these uncertain time,” the group says in the letter.
The active case count in Muskoka now sits at 13.
The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU) is reporting two new cases of the virus and one more recovery.
They also report that two people are in the hospital.
Both of the new cases are in Huntsville residents:
A male between the ages of 45 and 64. The cause is still under investigation.
A female between the ages of 65 and 79. The Health Unit says it was community-acquired.
There have been a total of 121 cases of the virus in Muskoka since the pandemic began with 106 people recovering and two people dying.
SMDHU has reported 53 new cases of the virus in Simcoe today and 20 have recovered. That brings the total in the region to 2,771 with 2,251 recoveries and 56 deaths in the County.
Two new COVID-19 cases are being reported in Muskoka and one more person has recovered.
The active caseload in Muskoka now sits at 12.
The new cases are:
Huntsville women between the ages of 35 and 44. The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU) says it was community-acquired.
Bracebridge man between the ages of 18 and 34. The cause is still under investigation.
With the new cases, it puts the total amount of cases seen in Muskoka at 119 with 105 people recovering and two deaths.
SMDHU has reported 48 new cases of the virus and one more death in Simcoe today. That brings the total in the region to 2,718 with 2,251 recoveries and 56 deaths.