FIRST OTTAWA VIRUS DEATH
Man had no travel history: officials
Wednesday marked a milestone in Ottawa — the first death related to COVID-19.
The individual, a man in his 90s, was living at home. He had no travel history. He developed a fever on March 15, was seen in the emergency department of The Ottawa Hospital and admitted on March 20 and died Wednesday. No more details were released.
The death prompted city officials to underline the importance of practising physical distancing and self-isolate if necessary.
“Although most residents are making efforts to flatten the curve, this serves as a sad and important reminder to us all of the severity of the situation we are facing,” said Mayor Jim Watson.
“I encourage residents to continue to wash their hands regularly, to respect social distancing guidelines, limit trips outside the house to essential ones, and to check in virtually on family, friends and neighbours. We must all do our part to help save lives in our community.”
Wednesday was also a day for aid packages.
Watson declared a municipal state of emergency Wednesday as an emergency relief bill in the House of Commons was passed to help those who are off work because of the pandemic. At Queen’s
Park, Ontario announced a $17 billion aid package.
Speaking at Ottawa city council’s first-ever virtual meeting on Wednesday morning, Watson said declaring a state of emergency will allow the city to “deploy our emergency operations in a quicker and more nimble fashion.”
Ottawa city council also approved a property-tax relief package and water payment grace period for residents and small businesses affected by COVID-19. Property owners will have a grace period for paying interim property taxes and will not receive a penalty if they couldn’t pay before March 19.
The federal emergency relief bill offers $2,000 a month for four months for those who have lost their jobs, are home sick, or are not receiving salaries from their jobs.
“I want you to know that we’ll be there to help you,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. “Our government is doing everything we can to be there for you.”
A portal to apply for that benefit is coming soon and people should start receiving payments within 10 days, the prime minister said.
But returning snowbirds beware. Federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu has announced that under the Quarantine Act, travellers returning to Canada will be subject to a mandatory 14-day period of isolation. Returning travellers are forbidden from using public transit or self-isolating in a place where they may be in contact with vulnerable people.
Ontario released an action plan of $17 billion, which includes $7 billion for health system resources and $10 billion in tax and other deferrals.
“There are moments that define a generation,” Ontario Finance Minister Rod Phillips said in the provincial legislature. “COVID -19 is our moment.”
There have been no new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, leaving the total at 27. There are now 13 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus in the Outaouais. Confirmed cases in Ontario increased from 588 on Tuesday to 689 on Wednesday, with 13 dead.
Statistics on official diagnosis should be viewed with caution. Testing does not track all cases in a community, because the mild symptoms most people experience aren’t distinguishable from common cold, and public health officials can’t test large numbers of people.