The abandoned Quinte Secondary school has been temporarily repurposed into a COVID-19 testing facility. Photo by James Tubb
By James Tubb
BELLEVILLE – Local politicians are keeping an eye on Ontario’s rising COVID-19 case count.
The province reported 300 new cases for the second time in the last three days on Wednesday. The province has seen a spike in cases since mid-August, with numbers reaching 200 cases per day since Sept. 12.
The bulk of these new cases are in Toronto, Ottawa and the Peel region.
The majority of cases may come from the bigger cities but concern about a second wave is evident in the Quinte region as well.
For Belleville mayor Mitch Panciuk, the rise in cases across the province is not a surprise.
“All things considered, we did expect an up-tick in cases with relaxation from people,” he said.
Hastings and Prince Edward counties have kept their case count relatively low with only 52 reported cases since March 19. Both counties have gone 11 days since their last confirmed case.
“People have been working hard as a community to keep the number low and our numbers show that”, said Panciuk.
This commitment by the city’s population has been encouraging for the mayor.
“I am so proud of the people of Belleville. Most people here care for one another and follow the regulations and the others who don’t are knuckleheads.”
Belleville city councillor Chris Malette shares the same sentiment as Panciuk, almost expecting a rise in cases after months of following the rules.
“ (I’m) not exactly surprised.”
“At a point people are fatigued,” Malette said.
He still believes that the people of Ontario can get this rise under control.
“I’m fully confident that most Ontarians will keep it responsible and follow the regulations. We don’t want to see all our hard work ruined,” he said.
The potential of the surged cases making their way to Quinte region is a concern that councillor Malette has considered. Even with protocols such as social distancing and wearing masks in place, the biggest concern now is travellers bringing the virus in.
“Prince Edward is a destination county. Even with all of the protocols in place, it puts us in a really tight spot,” he said.
Having been part of the fight against COVID-19 since CFB Trenton started quarantining Canadians returning from China in February, Trenton mayor Jim Harrison is not afraid to shutdown Quinte West if the area’s cases start to rise.
“I don’t know how I would do it, but I would shut it down, It’s my responsibility”.
“I don’t want anyone saying I should have done more,” said Harrison.
CFB Trenton became Canada’s repatriation hub for any Canadians who were traveling when the world shut down due to COVID-19. This thrusted the city into the fight against the virus, something that has helped Quinte West keep the case numbers down.
“Having been at it since January, we have established the pattern of following the regulations,” he said.”
Now, with cases spiking across the province, he has noticed the impact it’s begun to have in the area.
“People are worried and it’s tied to the spike. People are stressed,” he said.
Dr. Piotr “Peter” Oglaza, medical officer from Hastings Prince Edward public health sees Ontario’s case spike as a lesson.
“It is something that reminds us the pandemic isn’t over, that is part of the reasoning and rational for all of this work,” Oglaza said.
Even though the Hastings Prince Edward counties have not seen a new case in almost two weeks, the province’s spike combined with the eventual fall cold-flu season could lead to an up-tick in cases.
“It’s very important that we need to be vigilant with our cleaning and following of the regulations,” he said.
The vigilance is just as important with holidays like Thanksgiving and Halloween coming up. Dr. Oglaza warns that families may want to have conversations about who feels comfortable coming home and gathering together.
“Students from high-risk areas may want to sit further away from family and friends who have a higher risk of being infected with the virus,” Dr. Oglaza said.
The Hastings Prince Edward public health has yet to release a statement advising families on how they should celebrate Halloween this year amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Oglaza said it is too far in the future to try and give a definitive answer on what parents should do.
“When it comes to Halloween, we might have to re-think our social gatherings and parties this year,” he said.
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