Public health advises avoiding travel to other regions; HPE remains in green/prevent zone
Administrator | Nov 20, 2020 | Comments 6
While Hastings and Prince Edward counties remain in the green/prevent zone of Ontario’s COVID-19 Response Framework for another week, the local public health is advising residents to avoid non-essential travel into other areas.
As the province reported 1,418 more cases of COVID-19 Friday, Premier Doug Ford announced that Toronto and Peel will be put into lockdown as of Monday. Those areas, he said, represented 80 per cent of the new cases. Hastings Prince Edward counties, for the next week, will remain in the green “prevent” zone.
Currently there are 15 active cases of COVID-19, with 14 being new cases reported over the past seven days. With these numbers, the local incidence rate of COVID-19 cases is 8.3 per 100,000 people.
Public Health notes the incidence rate demonstrates how quickly rates of the virus are increasing in the region. Within the COVID-19 Response Framework, an incidence rate that exceeds 10 cases per 100,00 people is one of the factors considered by the province to determine if HPEPH should move into the yellow/protect zone.
Considering the population in Hastings and Prince Edward Counties, HPEPH will exceed this rate if 17 new cases of COVID-19 are identified locally over a seven-day period.
As case numbers continue to grow in the region, residents are asked to remain diligent with their efforts to practice public health protocols, and consider additional changes to their travel and social habits.
Residents are asked to carefully consider how essential their travel and social activities may be, recognizing that any situation where there is close contact with others can increase the risk of contracting and spreading the virus.
“I am asking all residents to consider additional changes they can make to help reduce the risk of exposure to, and spread of, COVID-19”, says Dr. Piotr Oglaza, Medical Officer of Health and CEO at HPEPH. “Please avoid travel to other regions unless absolutely necessary. Consider postponing invitations for visits from friends or family members who reside in other areas. Every new case in our region increases the risk of local spread and could severely impact our vulnerable loved ones.”
In addition to avoiding unnecessary travel, everyone is asked to continue their efforts to reduce their number of high-risk contacts in general, which will help slow the spread of illness.
To reduce high risk contacts, avoid the 3 C’s: closed spaces with poor ventilation; crowded places; and close contact where you can’t practice physical distancing.
All residents should continue to monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 and follow guidance provided in provincial assessment tools regarding testing and isolation.
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Nov. 20: One new lab-confirmed COVID-19 case has been confirmed for the region, and three cases are now reported as recovered, leaving 15 active cases in the region.
Seven are related to close contact, three travel and two causes of transmission are listed as pending.
The dashboard shows two active cases in Prince Edward County.
Five new COVID-19 infections bring active cases locally to 17
NOV 19 – Five new COVID-19 positive cases reported have been lab-confirmed in Hastings Prince Edward counties – bringing the total since March to 100. Seventy-eight have recovered. There were five deaths in the spring.
The local health unit report brings the number of active cases to 17, with one hospitalized but not on a ventilator or in ICU.
Three of the new cases are from Quinte West, and one each in Belleville and North Hastings.
Click here to visit the Hastings Prince Edward Public Health dashboard.
Five new COVID-19 infections over the weekend
UPDATE NOV. 16: Hastings Prince Edward Public Health has posted five new COVID-19 cases from over the weekend – bringing the local active cases to 11.
Three new cases are dated Friday, Nov. 13 and two Saturday, Nov. 14. Of the 11, six cases are in Quinte West, four in Belleville, and one remains in Prince Edward County.
There have been 13 cases reported from Nov. 1-15. Of the 93 cases posted since March, there have been 77 recoveries and five deaths (March).
Click here to visit the Hastings Prince Edward Public Health dashboard.
NOV. 13: Three additional COVID-19 infections bring the Hastings Prince Edward active cases to six.
Public Health reported cases numbered 85-87 in Quinte West and updated causes of transmission from earlier cases to close contact and travel.
Four of the six cases are in Quinte West. The other two are in Prince Edward County and Belleville.
Three cases involve two people in the 40 to 59 age range and two people aged 19 and under.
NOV. 12: Two new reported cases of COVID-19 were reported by Hastings Prince Edward Health on Nov. 11 – one in the County, one in Belleville.
There are now three active cases in the region, the third in Quinte West. Case number 83 is reported to be local transmission. Case 84 is yet to be determined.
The province reported more than 1,500 new cases Thursday, the highest number on record and the third straight record-high day for the province.
There have been 84 cases in the region since March. Nine in Prince Edward County; 43 in Belleville, 15 in Quinte West; five in Hastings and two in Deseronto/Tyendinaga. There have been 76 recoveries and five deaths, (in the spring).
Filed Under: Local News
There are many owners of rental properties in the area that are proactively cancelling bookings as a result of the recent lock downs.
We are a green zone and those unwelcome visitors feel safer here than at home. It’s time to stop pandering to those who own vacation rental homes and B and B’s and halt the rental of these places now as this virus ramps up. It is only a matter of time before we have an outbreak here. Most of these visitors do not seem to understand the concept of social distancing.
Doug – you are 100% right. I could not believe the number of Toronto and Ottawa visitors I saw on Main St. in Wellington on Saturday for whom social distancing did not exist. What part of “please stay at home” do they not get? Selfish folks?
The County may have to consider stopping the Airbnb business in this area since you see alot of strangers in the area from outside the County until the infection numbers go down .
The number of Toronto tourists in town today is somewhat concerning given their high covid numbers.
We should be told more about these cases, especially the first one in the County for months. Are they in hospital and where have they been recently? Does contact tracing take place? This kind of information which is relevant to all of us should be made public without having to divulge the person’s name.