COVID-19

ARTHUR – North Wellington Health Care (NWHC), which operates hospitals in Mount Forest and Palmerston, took over management of the facility through a voluntary management contract on Jan. 13, during a devastating COVID-19 outbreak at the home.

GUELPH – A suspected COVID-19 outbreak at the Wellington Terrace in Aboyne is proof the vaccine offers protection against the B117 variant now spreading in the community and is the way out of the pandemic, says the local medical officer of health.

WELLINGTON COUNTY – In response to the closure of local schools, Wellington County is offering a targeted emergency child care program for school-aged children.

TORONTO –The Province of Ontario has issued a third state of emergency as well as another stay-at-home order, and non-essential retail stores must close to in-person shopping.

ARTHUR – For the second year in a row, the traditional Arthur Fall Fair will be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, organizers will be providing a virtual fair  this year, "with the possibility of a few in-person" events/exhibits.

WELLINGTON COUNTY – The Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health long weekend total works out to a daily average of over 59 new cases. In the week leading up to the long weekend, the region averaged just under 21 new cases per day.

MAPLETON - For the second year in a row the Drayton Fair is cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, officials note, many of the society’s traditional events will still take place.

WELLINGTON COUNTY – All schools in the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health (WDGPH) region will close to in-person learning on Wednesday (April 7) due to "the troubling rise in cases of COVID-19 among children." Dr. Nicola Mercer is expected to order the closures on Tuesday morning.

WELLINGTON COUNTY – Pharmacies in Erin, Fergus and Guelph are among those offering AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccinations for eligible people aged 55 or older.

ABOYNE – A COVID-19 outbreak has been declared at the Wellington Terrace Long-Term Care Home, with up to five employees testing positive. The employees, currently asymptomatic and in isolation at home, will be retested.

TORONTO – About six per cent of Ontario residents are spreading online misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic – and most of them are older than people might assume.

WELLINGTON COUNTY – Doug Ford has announced Ontario will enter an "emergency brake shutdown" for the next month. The premier announced the province-wide shutdown on April 1 in response to rising COVID-19 cases and the spread of several variants, as well as the strain on the health care system.