Hastings Prince Edward Public Health posts four new COVID-19 cases
Administrator | Sep 08, 2020 | Comments 15
The Hastings Prince Edward County region has posted four new COVID-19 cases, posted Tuesday.
Transmission for two of the cases are noted as travel, one close contact, (Sept.4 and 5) the other pending (Sept. 8), as reported on the Hastings Prince Edward Public Health dashboard. Prince Edward County’s count remains at two (previously reported Aug. 24) cases.
Reporting an upward trend in cases in Ontario and across the nation, Health Minister Christine Elliott today announced Ontario will take a four-week pause on further loosening COVID-19 re-openings.
“We did not make this decision lightly. We are really concentrating on getting all our students back to school safely and having them remain healthy, but the reality is that spread in the community will also likely mean spread in the schools, so we need to limit the spread in the community as much as possible.”
The restrictions mean residents in Ontario won’t be allowed expanded social circles, gathering sizes and greater increases in the number of people allowed to attend sports events.
The province recorded 375 new COVID-19 cases over the past two days – 190 new reported on Monday, and 185 on Tuesday – the highest number of new cases since July 24.
Tuesday also marked the 13th consecutive day where the number of new cases in the province surpassed 100.
Filed Under: Local News
We are where we are now because responsible people have followed the rules. There will always be foolhardy individuals who are convinced that the pandemic is a hoax and they are invincible. COVID-19 is deadly serious. Yes, younger people need to make a living but they also need to have a life or everything else is meaningless and this virus takes lives. Right now a lot of younger people are taking foolish risks not because they need to make a living but because they want to party with friends, go to a strip bar, or have their nails done. It would be a little easier to understand if they were congregating with no thought to masks or social distancing in order to earn a living. Hand wringing is a waste of time. When we can we should do all that we can to ensure our personal safety and the safety of others. If this means politely asking for more space or reporting a clear violation of the rules that we have witnessed we should do it. Shrugging it off as something beyond our control is silent endorsement of a behaviour that places all of us at risk.
At the local grocery store, I’ve had to ask the grocery store clerk to please let me finish bagging my groceries before inviting the next customer to enter the narrow space at her till. At work, my managers (provincial government) are not enforcing screening although they report to their higher ups that they do.
Worst of all, my grandchildren have been told, it’s okay to be 1 metre apart in the classroom – so they can all fit. This is outrageous!
Hi Dennis, I thought your question was a good one; i.e. “how to handle”. I have done more or less what Diane posted. I tend to back away from people, but I also say at the same time “Nothing personal, but I’m backing away from you to keep the six foot distance.” This explains why I’m doing what I’m doing, and whenever I’ve done that, 100% of the time people have said something like “Oh yeah, sorry, I forgot.” Because maybe they did, or were preoccupied, etc.
I also have developed a huge hand washing habit now, much more than I ever did, which is likely a good thing.
Bottom line, I try to control my own behaviour as best I can, and am trying to remain as calm as possible when I see people doing things that are inappropriate.
As others have said, this is not limited to COVID stuff, i.e. people tailgating me incessantly on almost any given County road, despite my habit of doing a few (no more than 10%) kms over the posted limits, so as not to hold up folks but still stay more or less at a safe speed.
In this day and age there are plenty of people among us who decide which laws they will follow everyday as they go about life.
It is likely that there is some number of violators, a very small percentage indeed, above which it becomes impossible to enforce, and such enforcing is fighting a losing battle.
In other words, the law means nothing if enough people decide it is in their interests not to follow it. Look south of the border and see how the enforcement of the law is working in places down there.
With coronavirus, people locked themselves in their homes and shuttered their businesses and altered their way of life greatly, some to this very day. But like the chipmunk chased into the hole in the ground they stuck their head out a couple of months later and decided it was safe enough in their minds to carry on.
Remember that people look at this from many angles. Not everyone is retired with their home paid off and kids long gone from the house. People need to go to work, kids need to go to school, society needs to carry on. Life is full of risks. Some choose to take more than others.
If we are looking for perfection, no deaths and no cases maybe we are being too optimistic. Is that where we are now??
In conclusion I think that we see a clash here between the idea that a law can be used to completely prohibit a behavior and the reality that we have nowhere near adequate Police or court system to do much if a large enough number of people continually flaunt it.
I don’t think speed limits and COVID-19 restrictions are matters left for the individual to decide. These are not personal decisions that affect only the individuals in question. A speeding motorist can kill innocent people and those who ignore the restrictions in place for COVID-19 can infect and possibly cause the death of others. Speed limits are not suggestions and neither are some of the current COVID-19 restrictions. Those who balk at rules and restrictions and consider them applicable only to others need to be reported. We can hardly fault the police if no one reports a problem. Stores have a responsibility to ensure that shoppers are safe and should make certain customers are aware of the rules and are following them. Shrugging our shoulders and saying “to each his own” is no solution.
Thanks LB – I believe you are correct. In the case I experienced it was outside, but none of them were respecting distancing and they were not wearing masks either! I just felt that for a group of 30 year old it was pretty irresponsible.
We stand back and let people decide that they will drive 95 on Highway 62, that they will roll through stop signs, that they will engage in risky personal behavior and on and on.
We make laws and we can educate but the reality we all have to accept is that individuals decide to what limit they will push things, and despite laws being in place, there is simply no way to enforce all of them anywhere near part of the time.
It comes down to people feeling that it is necessary to follow the precautions, otherwise you have no ammo besides shaming or calling the cops (if they even show up), or downloading that responsibility onto the employees of the business.
In all honesty the arrows in the stores seem redundant to me now. I see them as an artifact of the early days pre-mask. Are we concerned that we can’t pass each other in the dog food aisle even when we are wearing masks? Have some of you been on a bus lately? What do you think that looks like?
We are fortunate to have reasonably long hours at our local grocery stores. Even in the busy summer time a Saturday night at No Frills was pretty laid back. Now heading into the fall all nights will be like this. If you have concerns why not head out at night to shop, skip the food truck if it concerns you, skip restaurants too if there is a concern.
People will continue to decide for themselves the level of concern they have about the virus, just as they will continue to speed, drive without insurance and throw more of their garbage out along our roads.
You can wring your hands but there’s not much else that you can do.
I see some people wearing gloves in grocery stores. What they are really doing is contaminating everyone. Gloves should be banned.
Some additional clarity on the rules would be helpful. I thought mask wearing in an outdoor setting was not mandatory as long as proper distances were maintained (as always). In closer outdoor settings such as travel to a restaurant table masks are required, but not at the table. Masks are required for all shared indoor spaces (+ distancing). Wearing gloves specifically to prevent the spread of Covid may not be as effective as bare hands since the person wearing the gloves may not sanitize them as often as they would their bare hands.
Rules are effective only when enforced and the restrictions regarding COVID-19 are tight in some places and almost non-existent in others. Yesterday at the licence bureau in the old courthouse there was a line-up outside. A security guard was admitting just one person at a time. Inside there was a screener. Meanwhile, at three Picton stores with heavy traffic no one was screening at the doors and customers were meandering through the aisles without much notice of the arrows. At the chip truck few in line are wearing masks. It can be unwise to ask those ignoring the rules to step back. Most may grudgingly comply but confrontations with less co-operative individuals is a possibility. At the chip truck there should be a sign that says No mask, no service. If business places can stipulate no shirt, no shoes, no service surely they can include masks. And why are the chip truck employees not wearing gloves? Members of the public should not be placed in the position of policing one another. Store owners need to maintain vigilance and the rules should be the same for all business places and public venues.
Dennis… what I have had to do repeatedly this summer is tell people nicely to please give me six feet and point to the line where they should be standing. It infuriates me to have to do this but at least they have always complied, even though they seem to be just a little offended. I will not cower to ignorant people who should know better.
My reason for writing about this topic was in the hope of finding an answer to my question…. What do you do if you find yourself in a situation of being surrounded by people who are not following any of the protocols? If there are rules to be followed, who is supposed to do the enforcing – members of the public? the restaurant/chip truck owner? police? municipaL staff – WHO?
If this is how adults are going to act, how does anyone expect kids at school to follow the rules? My fear is we are setting ourselves up for a huge deadly second wave – when it could have been prevented.
It seems that a lot of people do not care if they get the virus or if they give it to others
There has been a too relaxed attitude in Picton this summer
We will pay the price for it this fall
I drove past PECI last week and saw a small group of students clustered outside – no masks. Is it not about time for the rules to be enforced? Large groups of tourists are all over town most without masks. Will it take a second wave of the virus for these people to wake up?
I went to town on Saturday and while there stopped by a chip truck. When I arrived there were 6 people in front of me in line – none of them were wearing a mask nor social distancing – I was wearing a mask and stayed well back. Within less than a minute, 6 more get out of a SUV and line up behind me – no masks, no social distancing either. I was the only person there with a mask, but totally surrounded by a dozen of 30ish aged people who should know better, but simply couldn’t have cared less. My question is – what to do? I did withdraw to my car until the way cleared, but as I sat there it got me wondering, just how many people did this group possibly infect and why should large numbers rule the day? What is protecting any of us in such a case? Do we yell and scream and cause a scene, withdraw or what? What these young people are doing is wrong – how do we deal with it?