Timmins under state of emergency; local health unit reports 29 COVID-19 cases

There are now 29 positive cases of COVID-19 in the Porcupine Health Unit (PHU) catchment area, including two fatalities.

The City of Timmins declared a state of emergency on Friday, and is considering issuing a curfew for its residents.

During the daily media briefing on Saturday, Dr. Lianne Catton, medical officer of health, called the deaths "terrible and tragic, and sad for everyone."

"To do this twice in one day is incredibly sad," she added.

The victims are a woman in her 60s, who had been admitted to the Timmins and District Hospital, and a woman in her 50s who had been admitted to Lady Minto Hospital in Cochrane.

All representatives at the media briefing offered condolences to the families of the two victims.

The mayor of the City of Timmins, George Pirie, also took the opportunity to speak about the front-line health care workers.

"[I give the] utmost respect to the first responders and those that are out there — boots on the ground — dealing with this on a daily basis. These are tough times and these are dedicated professional people," he said.

"We want to thank them for their service."

Public health measures most important step

The PHU's 29th case of the novel coronavirus, reported Saturday morning, is a man in his 30s. He is self-isolating at home. The PHU says the investigation into his exposure is ongoing.

"We can not stress enough that COVID-19 is now percolating in our community," Catton said, referring to several confirmed cases which are not linked to either international travel or contact with other cases.

"We need everyone in every community to continue the tremendous commitment to protecting all of our community members from COVID-19," she said.

Catton did admit that PHU didn't expect to see community or local transmission this early into the health crisis.

"We really need every community member to act as though COVID-19 is already within the community and take the necessary precautions," she said.

"The public health measures are really the first step. They are the biggest, most important possibility for us to reduce the impact of COVID-19."

Catton did commend those who are following the public health measures and making changes in their lives to keep the virus from spreading.

When asked about the growing number of positive cases within the PHU catchment area, Catton said there are several that are connected to one another, and those constitute the largest grouping of related cases.

Potential risk at Lord's Kitchen in Timmins

The PHU did issue an advisory about a potential risk of exposure to a COVID-19 case who attended the Lord's Kitchen for dinner on March 12, and for breakfast on each of March 13 and March 20.

The Lord's Kitchen is a non-profit organization in Timmins that provides hot meals for those in need. It is run entirely by volunteers.

Catton says the timeline is outside of the window for self-isolation, but she is asking any patrons or volunteers who may have attended on the dates listed to monitor for symptoms, and contact the health unit for further assessment or testing, if needed.

51 extra beds at Timmins Hospital

The representative from the Timmins and District Hospital says their staff continues to work with PHU and other health care agencies in the area to meet the local needs.

"The hospital is working through our pandemic planning process," Kaileigh Russell said, adding that the process was fluid and they took action the moment the novel coronavirus became known.

"We have built the capacity of an additional 51 beds in the hospital," she said.

"[The pandemic planning process] will continue 24 hours a day, seven days a week in order to meet the needs of the community in our region."

The City of Timmins is also considering implementing a curfew, while it's under a state of emergency.

Police Chief John Gauthier told the media he was still researching how police enforcement would work under an implemented curfew.

"This is new ground for all of us here in the City of Timmins."

"I'll probably bring that back to the emergency group and the mayor probably first thing Monday or early next week."

Businesses operating during state of emergency

Pirie says he's had several questions from business owners about what the state of emergency means for them and for their employees.

Under the declaration, the City of Timmins does not have the authority to close businesses down, but Pirie said individual owners can make that decision themselves.

"If you are unsure and can not provide for the safety of your employees and are worried about them, you do — whether you are on the essential list or not," he said.

"You, as a business owner can shut your business down anytime you want, you don't have to look to be ordered to do so, and in fact the city can't."

You have to assume everybody you meet has the virus, and take the appropriate precautions- George Pirie, mayor of City of Timmins

Pirie and the rest of the representatives at the media briefing continue to reiterate the importance of following public health measures in place to prevent COVID-19 from spreading.

"The message stays the same: we have to keep two metres (6-feet) apart. You have to ensure that you're safe and you have to ensure that your family is safe," Pirie said.

"You have to assume everybody you meet has the virus, and take the appropriate precautions."