Fifteen new COVID cases over weekend

There were three new cases of COVID-19 reported in the Peterborough area Monday, following six new cases Saturday and six Sunday.

Peterborough Public Health reports that there have been 579 cases since last March in the city, county, Hiawatha First Nation and Curve Lake First Nation. There are currently 22 active cases and 548 resolved cases. Nine people have died as a results of the coronavirus.

The Peterborough area will see many businesses reopening Tuesday as the province lifts restrictions put in place in December,

with the area returning to “Yellow Protect” status under the provincial COVID-19 colour-coded framework. The City of Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County and Haliburton County will be designated “Orange Restrict,” with more restrictions.

Locally, stores, restaurants, bars, hair salons, recreation facilities, performing arts facilities, casinos, bingo halls and movie theatres will be able to reopen, with COVID-19 precautions in place.

Testing

More than 42,500 area residents, or 28.7 per cent, have been tested at least once for the virus. COVID-19 testing continues at Peterborough Regional Health Centre and at Northcrest Arena, both by appointment only. To book a spot, visit prhc.on.ca and at peterboroughpublichealth.ca.

Testing by Peterborough Public Health staff can also be arranged in the home by calling 705-743-1000.

Some people can be tested at the Shoppers Drug Mart at High and Lansdowne streets, by appointment by calling 705748-6141 or email asdm614@shoppersdrugmart.ca. This is specifically for people who meet certain criteria: Residents or workers in long-term-care homes; Visitors to a long-term-care home; Residents or workers in homeless shelters; International students who have passed their 14day quarantine period.

Discrepancies

The daily updates from health officials don’t always tally. Peterborough Public Health explains why: “Note: The data is extracted and uploaded between the hours of 4 and 5 p.m. every day. For this reason, the values shown here may differ from other sources or values provided on provincial websites, as the Ministry of Health extracts data at different times. The data provided in the Local COVID Tracker charts are subject to change as well. As public health investigations are ongoing, day to day updates may differ slightly as the pandemic evolves. This includes the transferring of cases between health units, merging of duplicate case investigations, and in rare occasions reclassifying historical cases. We thank you for your understanding as we strive for timely accurate updates.”