Recent developments:
- A dental clinic says it is struggling to reopen under costly COVID-19 guidelines and a lack of personal protective equipment.
- Montebello Rockfest is going virtual this summer.
- The city expects to have air conditioning operating at the Brewer Arena assessment centre soon.
What’s happening today?
New rules released by the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario will require big changes at many dental offices.
Among the guidelines, clinics will have to seal off treatment rooms after drilling, scaling or polishing, because those procedures send particles into the air and could potentially spread COVID-19. One eastern Ontario clinic says the new rules will be difficult, and costly, to abide by.
City officials say they’re working to install a rented air conditioning unit at the COVID-19 assessment centre at the Brewer Arena following complaints the building is uncomfortably hot during the current heat wave.
Organizers with Montebello Rockfest are taking the music festival online this year. The virtual edition will include streaming thousands of previously unreleased hours of concert footage from performances.
How many cases are there?
There have been 1,922 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa and 238 deaths linked to the respiratory illness. There are more than 3,000 known cases across eastern Ontario and western Quebec.
More than 2,200 people in the region have recovered from COVID-19.
The deaths of 49 people in Leeds, Grenville and Lanark counties and 32 more in the wider region have also been tied to the coronavirus.
Confirmed cases are just a snapshot because not everyone can be tested and results take time to process, though testing criteria are being expanded.
What’s open and closed?
Ontario is in “stage one” of its three-stage reopening plan. When ready, its next stage should bring more offices, outdoor spaces and gatherings back.
Quebec’s libraries, drive-ins and museums can reopen Friday, with malls and services such as dentist offices and hair salons poised to reopen Monday.
Gatineau Park and provincial parks are now open with limits, like the National Capital Commission and Ottawa-Gatineau city parks.
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This Sunday, the farmers market at Lansdowne Park reopens for preordering and picking up at a designated time.
The national park reopenings Monday include boat launches and trails in Thousand Islands National Park and along the Rideau Canal, with canal lockstations back up and running as well.
Ottawa has cancelled event permits until the end of August. Quebec has asked organizers to cancel events until September.
Ontario schools are closed through summer. Post-secondary schools are moving toward more online classes this fall, with the province promising a fall plan for younger students by July.
Quebec elementary schools outside Montreal are open. Its high schools, CEGEPs and universities are closed to in-person classes until fall.
Distancing and isolating
The coronavirus primarily spreads through droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes. People don’t need to have symptoms to be contagious.
That means physical distancing measures such as avoiding non-essential trips, working from home, not gathering and staying at least two metres away from anyone they don’t live with.
Ottawa Public Health recommends people wear a fabric or non-medical mask when they can’t always stay two metres from strangers, such as at a grocery store.
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Anyone who has symptoms, travelled recently outside Canada or, specifically in Ottawa, is waiting for a COVID-19 test result must self-isolate for at least 14 days.
The same goes for anyone in Ontario who’s been in contact with someone who’s tested positive or is presumed to have COVID-19.
People 70 and older or with compromised immune systems or underlying health conditions should also self-isolate.
What are the symptoms of COVID-19?
COVID-19 can range from a cold-like illness to a severe lung infection, with common symptoms including fever, a dry cough, vomiting and the loss of taste or smell.
Less common symptoms include chills, headaches and pink eye. The Ontario government says in rare cases, children can develop a rash.
If you have severe symptoms, call 911.
Where to get tested
In Ottawa any resident who feels they need a test, even if they are not showing symptoms, can now be tested.
Tests are done at the Brewer Arena from 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m., seven days a week, or at 595 Moodie Dr. and 1485 Heron Rd. those same hours on weekdays.
Testing has also expanded for local residents and employees who work in the Eastern Ontario Health Unit area.
There is a drive-thru test centre in Casselman and assessment centres in Hawkesbury and Winchester that don’t require people to call ahead and others in Rockland, and Cornwall that require an appointment.
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In Kingston, the assessment centre at the Kingston Memorial Centre is open Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on weekends from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for anyone with symptoms.
Napanee‘s test centre is open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily for people who call for an appointment.
The Leeds, Grenville and Lanark unit asks you to get tested if you have a symptom or concerns about exposure.
It has a walk-in site in Brockville open seven days a week at the Memorial Centre and testing sites in Smiths Falls and Almonte which require an appointment.
The public health unit in the Belleville area is asking people to call it at 613-966-5500, their family doctor or Telehealth if they have symptoms or questions.
If you have no symptoms, you can arrange a test in Bancroft, Belleville or Trenton by calling the centre, or in Picton by texting 613-813-6864. You can also call Picton’s number as a backup.
You may also qualify for a home test.
Renfrew County is also providing home testing under some circumstances. Residents without access to a family doctor can call 1-844-727-6404 if they have health questions, COVID-19-related or not.
If you’re concerned about the coronavirus, take the self-assessment.
In western Quebec:
Outaouais residents should call 819-644-4545 if they have symptoms. They could end up being referred to Gatineau’s testing centre.
First Nations
Local communities have declared states of emergency, put in a curfew or both.
Akwesasne has opened a mobile COVID-19 test site available by appointment only. Anyone returning to Akwesasne who’s been farther than 80 kilometres away is asked to self-isolate for 14 days.
Anyone in Tyendinaga who has symptoms can call 613-967-3603 to talk to a nurse.
Pikwakanagan‘s council plans to let businesses reopen Friday and Kitigan Zibi is keeping schools closed through the summer.
