A look at the local numbers …
Public Health Sudbury & Districts state there are five new COVID-19 cases, all in Greater Sudbury.
Considering resolved cases, there are 27 active cases within the agency’s jurisdiction.
The agency has also declared the outbreak at St. Charles College has ended and all classes have resumed.
Health Sciences North numbers have increased with 19 admitted patients.
Eight patients have been confirmed as positive cases with two of them in intensive care.
Eleven other patients are waiting for test results.
Algoma Public Health has 21 active cases with two individuals in the hospital.
Colour zones will be known soon
We’ll know before Tuesday what will be allowed when the majority of the province reopens.
A government official has confirmed to the Vista National News Desk that an announcement will be made before the stay-at-home order expires next week.
No other details, such as what day the announcement would be made, were given.
That means each of the 28 public health units still under lockdown will know what colour-coded level they will be put under in the province’s reopening framework.
That decision will be made by the province’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, in consultation with local medical officers.
Fake COVID-19 test ends in charge for returning Canadian
A 29-year-old man from Stratford has been charged after police allege he tried to use a fake COVID-19 document after landing at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport.
Canada Border Services Agency officer, along with the Public Quarantine Officer, were conducting checks around 7 o’clock Monday night when the man’s COVID-19 document was found to be fake.
Police say the document was actually a positive test result.
The man was arrested and charged with using a forged document.
He’s now in a hotel for the required 14-day quarantine period and will appear in court in Brampton on April 19th.
Compliance blitz focus on larger centres
Provincial safety inspectors will now shift their focus to warehouses and distribution centres in the battle against COVID-19.
They’ve already begun checking locations in the hard-hit Peel region for infractions of the rules, such as having a safety plan in place, physical distancing, and the wearing of masks.
Labour Minister Monte McNaughton says Peel has a high proportion of essential workers…..and employers who aren’t keeping them safe will be ticketed or shut down.
Inspectors have issued 218 tickets during their blitz on big box stores, which began last month.
India offers vaccine assistance
India’s president says he’ll do his best to help Canada with shipments of COVID-19 vaccines…..but he isn’t making any firm promises.
The Serum Institute of India is the world’s largest manufacturer of vaccines, and already has a contract with AstraZeneca to turn out two-billion doses of its product.
However, Canadian health officials have not yet approved the AstraZeneca vaccine for use here.
There have been questions raised about whether the vaccine is effective in people over the age of 65, and against the South African variant of the coronavirus.