The province of Ontario announced Friday that Windsor Essex will be moving to Red, or “Control” status under the province’s COVID-19 response framework.
The changes will come into effect on Monday, November 30th 12:01am.
“The health and safety of all Ontarians is and will always be our top priority, that’s why we are following the advice of the Chief Medical Officer of Health and other health experts and making this adjustment today,” said Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “Over the last week we have seen a shift in the trends of key public health indicators in regions across the province, and by moving [regions to new levels] in the framework, we can ensure that the necessary targeted measures are in place to stop the spread of the virus and allow us to keep our schools and businesses open.”
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Effective Nov 30 at 12:01 a.m., @TheWECHU is moving to Red–Control under the Keeping Ontario Safe and Open Framework.
Windsor-Essex joins four other regions moving to different levels under the framework. Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit is moving to Orange-Restrict, and Hastings Prince Edward Public Health, Lambton Public Health, and Northwestern Health Unit are moving to Yellow-Protect.
The Red status is one status away from the province’s Lockdown status.
Red ‘Control’ status means the following, according to the province:
Changes from Orange – Restrict to Red – Control are marked in red.
Organized public events, social gatherings and religious services, rites and ceremonies
Limits for all organized public events and social gatherings:
5 people indoors
25 people outdoors
Limits for religious services rites or ceremonies, including wedding services and funeral services (apply regardless of the venue where held):
30% capacity of the room indoors
100 people outdoors
Restaurants, bars and other food and drink establishments
Maximum number of patrons permitted to be seated indoors is 10
Outdoor dining, take out, drive through, and delivery permitted, including alcohol
Require patrons to be seated; 2 metre minimum or impermeable barrier required between tables
Limit of 4 people may be seated together
Dancing, singing and the live performance of music is prohibited
Require contact information for all seated patrons
No buffet style service
Line-ups and patrons congregating outside venues managed by venue; 2 metres distance and face covering required
Face coverings required except when eating or drinking only
Personal protective equipment, including eye protection required when is a worker must come within 2 metres of another person who is not wearing a face covering
Establishments must be closed from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.
Liquor sold or served only between 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
No consumption of liquor permitted between 10 p.m. to 9 a.m.
Limit volume of music to be low enough that a normal conversation is possible
Screening of patrons is required, in accordance with instructions issued by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health
Night clubs and strip clubs only permitted to operate as restaurant or bar
A safety plan is required to be prepared and made available upon request
Sports and recreational fitness facilities
Gyms and fitness studios permitted to be open with maximum of:
10 people indoors or 25 people outdoors in classes; and
10 people indoors in areas with weights or exercise equipment
No spectators permitted (exemption for parent and guardian supervision of children)
Increase spacing between patrons to 3 metres for areas of a sport or recreational facility where there are weights or exercise equipment and in exercise and fitness classes
Team sports must not be practiced or played except for training (no games or scrimmage)
Activities that are likely to result in individuals coming within 2 metres of each other are not permitted; no contact permitted for team or individual sports, with an exemption for high performance, including parasport, athletes.
Patrons may only be in the facility for 90 minutes except if engaging in a sport
Limit volume of music to be low enough that a normal conversation is possible; measures to prevent shouting by both instructors and members of the public
Face coverings required except when exercising
Require contact information for all members of the public that enter the facility
Require reservation for entry; one reservation for teams
Screening of patrons is required, in accordance with instructions issued by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health
A safety plan is required to be prepared and made available upon request
Meeting and event spaces
Maximum of 10 people per facility indoors or 25 outdoors
Booking multiple rooms for the same event not permitted
Establishments must be closed from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.
Liquor sold or served only between 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
No consumption of liquor permitted between 10 p.m. to 9 a.m.
Require contact information for all seated patrons
Limit of 4 people may be seated together
Limit volume of music to be low enough that a normal conversation is possible
Screening of patrons is required, in accordance with instructions issued by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health
A safety plan is required to be prepared and made available upon request
Retail
Fitting rooms must be limited to non-adjacent stalls
Line-ups and patrons congregating outside venues managed by venue; 2 metre distance required inside and outside; face covering also required while in line
Limit volume of music to be low enough that a normal conversation is possible
Screening of patrons is required, in accordance with instructions issued by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health
For malls:
Maximum number of patrons permitted to be seated indoors in mall food court is 10
A safety plan is required to be prepared and made available upon request
Personal care services
Oxygen bars, steam rooms, saunas, bath houses and other adult venues, closed
Sensory deprivation pods closed (some exceptions)
Services requiring removal of face coverings prohibited
Require contact information from all patrons
Screening of patrons is required, in accordance with instructions issued by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health
A safety plan is required to be prepared and made available upon request
Casinos, bingo halls and gaming establishments
Maximum of 10 people indoors or 25 people outdoors
Table games are prohibited
Liquor sold or served only between 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
No consumption of liquor permitted between 10 p.m. to 9 a.m.
Require contact information from all patrons
Screening of patrons is required, in accordance with instructions issued by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health
A safety plan is required to be prepared and made available upon request
Cinemas
Closed, except for:
drive-in cinemas
rehearsal or performing a recorded or broadcasted event, with restrictions:
Performers and employees must maintain 2 metre physical distance except for purposes of the performance
Singers and players of brass or wind instruments must be separated from any other performers by plexiglass or other impermeable barrier
A safety plan is required to be prepared and made available upon request
Performing arts facilities
Closed to spectators
Rehearsal or performing a recorded or broadcasted event permitted
Performers and employees must maintain 2 metre physical distance except for purposes of the performance
Singers and players of brass or wind instruments must be separated from any other performers by plexiglass or other impermeable barrier
Drive-in performances permitted
A safety plan is required to be prepared and made available upon request
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A rare Bronze-Era jar accidentally smashed by a 4-year-old visiting a museum was back on display Wednesday after restoration experts were able to carefully piece the artifact back together.
Last month, a family from northern Israel was visiting the museum when their youngest son tipped over the jar, which smashed into pieces.
Alex Geller, the boy’s father, said his son — the youngest of three — is exceptionally curious, and that the moment he heard the crash, “please let that not be my child” was the first thought that raced through his head.
The jar has been on display at the Hecht Museum in Haifa for 35 years. It was one of the only containers of its size and from that period still complete when it was discovered.
The Bronze Age jar is one of many artifacts exhibited out in the open, part of the Hecht Museum’s vision of letting visitors explore history without glass barriers, said Inbal Rivlin, the director of the museum, which is associated with Haifa University in northern Israel.
It was likely used to hold wine or oil, and dates back to between 2200 and 1500 B.C.
Rivlin and the museum decided to turn the moment, which captured international attention, into a teaching moment, inviting the Geller family back for a special visit and hands-on activity to illustrate the restoration process.
Rivlin added that the incident provided a welcome distraction from the ongoing war in Gaza. “Well, he’s just a kid. So I think that somehow it touches the heart of the people in Israel and around the world,“ said Rivlin.
Roee Shafir, a restoration expert at the museum, said the repairs would be fairly simple, as the pieces were from a single, complete jar. Archaeologists often face the more daunting task of sifting through piles of shards from multiple objects and trying to piece them together.
Experts used 3D technology, hi-resolution videos, and special glue to painstakingly reconstruct the large jar.
Less than two weeks after it broke, the jar went back on display at the museum. The gluing process left small hairline cracks, and a few pieces are missing, but the jar’s impressive size remains.
The only noticeable difference in the exhibit was a new sign reading “please don’t touch.”
VICTORIA – The British Columbia government is partnering with a bear welfare group to reduce the number of bears being euthanized in the province.
Nicholas Scapillati, executive director of Grizzly Bear Foundation, said Monday that it comes after months-long discussions with the province on how to protect bears, with the goal to give the animals a “better and second chance at life in the wild.”
Scapillati said what’s exciting about the project is that the government is open to working with outside experts and the public.
“So, they’ll be working through Indigenous knowledge and scientific understanding, bringing in the latest techniques and training expertise from leading experts,” he said in an interview.
B.C. government data show conservation officers destroyed 603 black bears and 23 grizzly bears in 2023, while 154 black bears were killed by officers in the first six months of this year.
Scapillati said the group will publish a report with recommendations by next spring, while an independent oversight committee will be set up to review all bear encounters with conservation officers to provide advice to the government.
Environment Minister George Heyman said in a statement that they are looking for new ways to ensure conservation officers “have the trust of the communities they serve,” and the panel will make recommendations to enhance officer training and improve policies.
Lesley Fox, with the wildlife protection group The Fur-Bearers, said they’ve been calling for such a committee for decades.
“This move demonstrates the government is listening,” said Fox. “I suspect, because of the impending election, their listening skills are potentially a little sharper than they normally are.”
Fox said the partnership came from “a place of long frustration” as provincial conservation officers kill more than 500 black bears every year on average, and the public is “no longer tolerating this kind of approach.”
“I think that the conservation officer service and the B.C. government are aware they need to change, and certainly the public has been asking for it,” said Fox.
Fox said there’s a lot of optimism about the new partnership, but, as with any government, there will likely be a lot of red tape to get through.
“I think speed is going to be important, whether or not the committee has the ability to make change and make change relatively quickly without having to study an issue to death, ” said Fox.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2024.
The European Space Agency is fast-tracking a new mission called Ramses, which will fly to near-Earth asteroid 99942 Apophis and join the space rock in 2029 when it comes very close to our planet — closer even than the region where geosynchronous satellites sit.
Ramses is short for Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety and, as its name suggests, is the next phase in humanity’s efforts to learn more about near-Earth asteroids (NEOs) and how we might deflect them should one ever be discovered on a collision course with planet Earth.
In order to launch in time to rendezvous with Apophis in February 2029, scientists at the European Space Agency have been given permission to start planning Ramses even before the multinational space agency officially adopts the mission. The sanctioning and appropriation of funding for the Ramses mission will hopefully take place at ESA’s Ministerial Council meeting (involving representatives from each of ESA’s member states) in November of 2025. To arrive at Apophis in February 2029, launch would have to take place in April 2028, the agency says.
This is a big deal because large asteroids don’t come this close to Earth very often. It is thus scientifically precious that, on April 13, 2029, Apophis will pass within 19,794 miles (31,860 kilometers) of Earth. For comparison, geosynchronous orbit is 22,236 miles (35,786 km) above Earth’s surface. Such close fly-bys by asteroids hundreds of meters across (Apophis is about 1,230 feet, or 375 meters, across) only occur on average once every 5,000 to 10,000 years. Miss this one, and we’ve got a long time to wait for the next.
When Apophis was discovered in 2004, it was for a short time the most dangerous asteroid known, being classified as having the potential to impact with Earth possibly in 2029, 2036, or 2068. Should an asteroid of its size strike Earth, it could gouge out a crater several kilometers across and devastate a country with shock waves, flash heating and earth tremors. If it crashed down in the ocean, it could send a towering tsunami to devastate coastlines in multiple countries.
Over time, as our knowledge of Apophis’ orbit became more refined, however, the risk of impact greatly went down. Radar observations of the asteroid in March of 2021 reduced the uncertainty in Apophis’ orbit from hundreds of kilometers to just a few kilometers, finally removing any lingering worries about an impact — at least for the next 100 years. (Beyond 100 years, asteroid orbits can become too unpredictable to plot with any accuracy, but there’s currently no suggestion that an impact will occur after 100 years.) So, Earth is expected to be perfectly safe in 2029 when Apophis comes through. Still, scientists want to see how Apophis responds by coming so close to Earth and entering our planet’s gravitational field.
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“There is still so much we have yet to learn about asteroids but, until now, we have had to travel deep into the solar system to study them and perform experiments ourselves to interact with their surface,” said Patrick Michel, who is the Director of Research at CNRS at Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur in Nice, France, in a statement. “Nature is bringing one to us and conducting the experiment itself. All we need to do is watch as Apophis is stretched and squeezed by strong tidal forces that may trigger landslides and other disturbances and reveal new material from beneath the surface.”
The Goldstone radar’s imagery of asteroid 99942 Apophis as it made its closest approach to Earth, in March 2021. (Image credit: NASA/JPL–Caltech/NSF/AUI/GBO)
By arriving at Apophis before the asteroid’s close encounter with Earth, and sticking with it throughout the flyby and beyond, Ramses will be in prime position to conduct before-and-after surveys to see how Apophis reacts to Earth. By looking for disturbances Earth’s gravitational tidal forces trigger on the asteroid’s surface, Ramses will be able to learn about Apophis’ internal structure, density, porosity and composition, all of which are characteristics that we would need to first understand before considering how best to deflect a similar asteroid were one ever found to be on a collision course with our world.
Besides assisting in protecting Earth, learning about Apophis will give scientists further insights into how similar asteroids formed in the early solar system, and, in the process, how planets (including Earth) formed out of the same material.
One way we already know Earth will affect Apophis is by changing its orbit. Currently, Apophis is categorized as an Aten-type asteroid, which is what we call the class of near-Earth objects that have a shorter orbit around the sun than Earth does. Apophis currently gets as far as 0.92 astronomical units (137.6 million km, or 85.5 million miles) from the sun. However, our planet will give Apophis a gravitational nudge that will enlarge its orbit to 1.1 astronomical units (164.6 million km, or 102 million miles), such that its orbital period becomes longer than Earth’s.
It will then be classed as an Apollo-type asteroid.
Ramses won’t be alone in tracking Apophis. NASA has repurposed their OSIRIS-REx mission, which returned a sample from another near-Earth asteroid, 101955 Bennu, in 2023. However, the spacecraft, renamed OSIRIS-APEX (Apophis Explorer), won’t arrive at the asteroid until April 23, 2029, ten days after the close encounter with Earth. OSIRIS-APEX will initially perform a flyby of Apophis at a distance of about 2,500 miles (4,000 km) from the object, then return in June that year to settle into orbit around Apophis for an 18-month mission.
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Furthermore, the European Space Agency still plans on launching its Hera spacecraft in October 2024 to follow-up on the DART mission to the double asteroid Didymos and Dimorphos. DART impacted the latter in a test of kinetic impactor capabilities for potentially changing a hazardous asteroid’s orbit around our planet. Hera will survey the binary asteroid system and observe the crater made by DART’s sacrifice to gain a better understanding of Dimorphos’ structure and composition post-impact, so that we can place the results in context.
The more near-Earth asteroids like Dimorphos and Apophis that we study, the greater that context becomes. Perhaps, one day, the understanding that we have gained from these missions will indeed save our planet.
