Two more residents in Chatham-Kent have recovered from COVID-19.
The cumulative total of positive COVID-19 cases remains at 157. Seven are currently active.
Five new cases were discovered last week. Four of the Chatham-Kent residents contracted the virus from a workplace outbreak outside the municipality.
No new positive COVID-19 cases were reported on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Ontario government extended the provincial Declaration of Emergency to July 15, 2020.
The Ontario Legislature, in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health, approved the extension on Wednesday morning, saying Ontario needed additional time and flexibility to safely reopen, while continuing to supporting frontline health care providers.
“As we gradually and safely reopen our economy, our frontline care providers can continue to rely on these emergency orders to better protect our seniors and most vulnerable citizens and provide the flexibility to put resources where they’re needed most,” said Premier Doug Ford. “We are hopeful that another extension of the Declaration of Emergency will not be needed as we see improvements in the public health trends and as people and businesses continue to act responsibly and adapt to the new environment.”
The provincial Declaration of Emergency enables the government to make, and as needed amend, emergency orders that protect the health and safety of all Ontarians.
Emergency orders in force under the Declaration of Emergency include those allowing frontline care providers to redeploy staff to areas most in need, limiting long-term care and retirement home employees to working at one home, and enabling public health units to redeploy or hire staff to support the province’s enhanced case management and contact tracing strategy.
The provincial government said it will continue to monitor public health trends related to COVID-19 and assess on an ongoing basis whether the provincial Declaration of Emergency needs to be extended further. The government will also continue to review emergency orders currently in place to determine when and if it is safe to amend or lift them as more places in the province are allowed to reopen.
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