City of Sarnia Primary Control Group Update
The Sarnia Primary Control Group met via teleconference on April 30, 2020, at 9:00 am regarding developments related to the COVID-19 pandemic and, as of that time, received confirmation that the number of deaths connected to the COVID-19 pandemic within the Sarnia-Lambton area remains at 14 and the number of confirmed cases has risen to 182. Currently, there remains 3 institutional outbreaks declared in Sarnia with Sumac Lodge, Vision Nursing Home and Landmark Village having declared outbreaks.
In light of the Government of Ontario’s release of information that outline the province’s plan to allow for the reopening businesses and public places, we remind everyone that this document is intended to be a roadmap to recovery and not a calendar of when we may expect to return to a level of normalcy. To properly protect public health, the “Framework for Reopening our Province” reiterates that Public health officials will still need to carefully monitor each of the three stages associated with the reopening of the economy for two-to-four weeks to properly assess the evolution of the COVID-19 outbreak after each stage. At this time, it remains premature to relax the health directives currently in place despite the growth rate of COVID-19 infections within our province being down from the previous weeks, with confirmed cases doubling every 2.8 weeks in Ontario rather than every 3 to 5 days as was previously the case.
Premier Doug Ford and the Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health have confirmed that while the province is doing well with our efforts to contain the spread of the COVID-19 illness within our province, it remains imperative that we all continue the fight to flatten the curve. This means we must all continue to respect the health directives, such as to physically distance from one another, avoid gatherings larger than 5 people, and staying home where possible, to be effective in protecting our most vulnerable population.
The City Compost Site is scheduled to open Monday, May 4, 2020. Hours of operation will be 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Monday to Friday. The compost site will not be open Saturdays, until further notice.
Please note residents can expect possible delays at the site due to limited access at gates. Acceptable items for drop off will include yard waste, grass clippings, and brush. Yard waste and grass clipping drop off will be free as usual. Brush drop off fees will be temporarily waived. We encourage residents to utilize the curbside brush collection scheduled the week of May 18, 2020. Mulch, wood chips, and compost sales are temporarily suspended. A new payment system is being developed and details will be announced shortly.
The Ontario Government also announced the launch of the “COVID-19 Tackling the Barriers” website to assist businesses looking to adapt and overcome the distinct challenges as a result of this global pandemic. This website it geared towards “Businesses working to retool their operations to produce health-related products, or those that want to continue their operations in this new environment of physical distancing, can submit any potential roadblocks to the website. The province is prepared to allow temporary changes to provincial rules and regulations in order to remove any barriers that are hindering business and negatively impacting Ontario's supply chain.” Please use the following link to access the new website for additional information: https://www.ontario.ca/page/frontline-business-help-us-support-you-during-covid-19
We continue to extend a special thank you to those organizations and individuals within our community who have stepped up and who have demonstrated incredible generosity and selflessness with their efforts to help other community members who are in need in these difficult times despite the current challenges we all face.
The City has had great success with the COVID-19 reporting hotline, and by continuing to work together through these difficult times, we will stop the spread of COVID-19. By-Law Enforcement has received the following number of complaints and concerns lodged through the COVID-19 reporting system to date:
· Total number of complaints received: 758
· Total number of emails received: 636
· Total number of phone calls received: 122
· Total number of charges laid: 4
Please note the above numbers do not include calls that were received through the Sarnia Police Services and dispatched to By-Law Staff or investigated by the Sarnia Police Services.
Contact Us:
The COVID-19 email reporting service is monitored daily including nights and weekends to provide the best available response to public concerns and we continue to encourage residents to email us at covid@sarnia.ca
The phone line is available Monday to Friday, excluding holidays, from 8:30am – 4:30pm and all messages received after hours are cleared the next business day. The number is 1-877-4-SARNIA (1-877-472-7642).
We would like to refer concerned community members to the websites for Bluewater Health and for Lambton Public Health for up to date information on the COVID-19 Virus, including the number of active cases within our community:
Bluewater Health:
· https://www.bluewaterhealth.ca/covid-19-information
Lambton Public Health:
· https://lambtonpublichealth.ca/2019-novel-coronavirus/
If you think you may have COVID-19 symptoms, or have been in close contact with someone who you believe may have been infected, first self-isolate and then use Ontario’s Self-Assessment Tool to see if you need to seek further care.
To listen to a detailed listing of City of Sarnia closures and disruptions, you are encouraged to call our City of Sarnia Services Update Line at 226-778-4611 which will be updated daily.
Lambton Public Health Information:
If you are experiencing symptoms and have traveled internationally, please call your health care provider or Lambton Public Health (519-383-8331) or https://lambtonpublichealth.ca/ (Please do not call 9-1-1 unless it is an emergency).
The Primary Control Group will continue to meet daily to ensure that all new and relevant information is being taken into consideration going forward. Daily public notifications will be issued. Please visit the City’s website www.sarnia.ca, Facebook, and/or Twitter for updates.
For further information, please contact:
City of Sarnia COVID-19 Hotline
1-877-4-SARNIA (1-877-472-7642) or 519-332-0932
Andrea Lane, Customer Service Manager
andrea.lane@sarnia.ca or 519-332-0330 ext.3231
City of Sarnia, Customer Service
customerservice@sarnia.ca or 519-332-0330 ext.3131