12 new COVID-19 cases reported on Thursday
Only eight coronavirus patients being treated now in Ottawa-area hospitals
Ottawa Public Health reported 12 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, as two more OC Transpo operators tested positive and a ninth case emerged at the city-run Carling Family Shelter.
On the encouraging side, there are only eight patients in local hospitals being treated for the disease, down three in one day, and a single person in intensive care.
These were the fifth and sixth OC Transpo drivers to test positive since Aug. 10. The first driver last worked on Aug. 12-13, while the second was behind the wheel on Aug. 17-18. A list of the affected routes, with the precise schedules, is available on OC’s website. Public health is working with the transit authority to trace potential contacts since symptoms first developed.
Twelve families remain on-site at the Carling Family Shelter and will be moved into isolation until Monday. The previous eight cases involved members of four families.
The big national news on Thursday was the rollover of the Canada Emergency Response Benefit into an expanded employment insurance program and the introduction of three new income-support benefits. CERB will end in a month and, if necessary, claimants will move to a form of EI with looser requirements and weekly payments in the $400 range. The maximum number of CERB eligible weeks will end at 28.
One of the new income-support plans will be available to the self-employed.
“For Canadian families who rely on the CERB, this means they’ll be supported as they figure out what’s happening with school and daycare for their kids in the fall,” said Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough.
“This will make it easier for Canadian businesses and for Canadian workers to get back to work in this difficult time,” said new Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland. “Canadian businesses, please
use this saved money to hire back some of your excellent and beloved workers.”
Government officials estimate about one million people will need the new workers’ benefit that replaces the CERB and three million will go on the simplified EI program.
The return-to-school picture, meanwhile, became a little clearer.
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board has decided to use Ministry of Education-approved leeway to stagger the return to classrooms over a two-week period, beginning Sept. 3.
The board also released a new schedule for secondary students. Students who opt for in-person learning will attend school every second day for a full day, as opposed to a half-day as originally proposed.