July 14 COVID-19 update from the City of Hamilton:
As of 9am this morning, there are 860 confirmed positive cases, 8 probable cases & 44 deaths from COVID-19 in #HamOnt. Of the 868 cases, 92% are resolved.
Today’s media briefing included an update on Phase Two: Our Gradual Recovery, the operational updates in Phase Two of #HamiltonReopens. Published at hamilton.ca/phase-two, the Phase Two operational updates cover 4 main areas, including reopening plans for Hamilton City Hall...
As Hamilton’s municipal hub, City Hall will be one of the first municipal buildings to reopen to the public. Beginning the week of July 20, 2020, the first two floors of City Hall will reopen to members of City Council...
...their staff, and City staff who have been approved to return to work between the hours of 8:30am and 4:30pm.
A number of changes will be in place when the building reopens - including enhanced cleaning, measures to ensure physical distancing, efforts to encourage good...
...hand hygiene and limit the spread of the virus, health screening for those working or visiting City Hall, and more.
The public must enter through any of the doors on the first floor. Councillors, their staff and those City staff who have been approved to return to work...
...may enter through the second floor doors.
Not all City services will be immediately available, and many will continue to be offered virtually – the document has a full listing of what will become available during the week of July 20...
...Ample signage and floor markings will be in place to ensure it is clear where everyone should enter the building, stand in line, or access City services.
At this time, all other Municipal Service Centres will remain closed until mid-August 2020.
.@HamiltonLibrary is welcoming all Hamiltonians back by waiving all fines and fees until December 31, 2021 and permanently eliminating fines and fees on materials for children and teens. This ensures library access without fear of fines and supports the community through...
...the pandemic and the eventual recovery period.
The Library will also be launching a pay-it-forward donor fund to support Hamilton kids’ literacy and learning. The fund will increase access to quality learning resources to better prepare Hamilton’s youth for tomorrow....
...For more information, or to check your @HamiltonLibrary account, visit hpl.ca or contact 905-546-3200 or AskHPL@hpl.ca.
Last Friday, the City’s Board of Health considered a by-law related to mandatory face coverings in most indoor public spaces. The by-law was created to protect the public from potentially spreading the virus to each other while in indoor public spaces, including...
...commercial areas, places of worship, community services, public transit & @hsr.
The by-law references face coverings, which includes bandanas and scarfs that cover the nose, mouth and chin and other non-gapping covers. It would not include those with underlying conditions...
...or those conditions or those who cannot put on or remove a mask without assistance.
This proposed by-law will be voted on at the Hamilton City Council meeting next Friday, July 17. Once a decision is made, it will be communicated to the public and establishment owners.
As of tomorrow, most waterfalls in Hamilton will reopen to the public. This includes Albion Falls, Tiffany Falls, Devil’s Punchbowl, Borer’s Falls, and Felker’s Falls.
All visitors must follow emergency measures and guidelines to allow these areas to remain open safely...
...Visitors are asked to consider planning their trip on “off-peak” times such as early in the morning or on weekdays.
If parking lots are full, do not park on municipal roadways, please come back another time...
...Spencer Gorge & associated areas will reopen at a later date. A reservation system & trail loop will be put in place before the areas open. The areas that will remain closed include Dundas Peak, Spencer Gorge, Tew Falls, Webster Falls, Crooks Hollow & Spencer Adventure Trail.
COVID-19 vaccine appointments are now available for Black and other racialized populations/people of colour ages 18+ who live in postal codes L9C, L8W, L8L, L8N and L9K at the COVID-19 vaccine clinic at FIRSTONTARIO CENTRE, Friday to Sunday this coming week.
For an appointment at FirstOntario Centre, or another clinic location depending on availability of vaccine, please call the Public Health Services COVID-19 Hotline at 905-974-9848, option 7. This is a by-appointment-only clinic, walk-ins are not permitted.
Proof of address must be shown when arriving for an appointment if eligibility is due to a hot spot address. Due to potential call volumes expected at the call centre, we ask that those who are calling for an appointment are patient and call back if the lines are busy.
With cases of COVID-19 on the rise in #HamOnt and across Ontario, Hamilton’s Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Elizabeth Richardson, is echoing the announcement made by Premier Doug Ford earlier today and recommending that residents move away from the concept of the “social circle”
and limit close interactions to those within their households.
Trends in COVID-19 cases in Hamilton are showing that the virus is most commonly being transmitted at private social gatherings, in situations where people are not practicing appropriate physical distancing,
and when people are not wearing masks indoors or in other settings where physical distancing is a challenge.
With businesses and schools reopening, and many residents returning to work, the concept of a social circle no longer reflects the reality of our daily lives,
The City of Hamilton is advising residents that an employee working at the Flamborough Municipal Service Centre (MSC) has tested positive for COVID-19.
Hamilton Public Health Services notified the City of the positive test result late this afternoon. The employee is currently self-isolating and Public Health Services is in the process of completing contact tracing to ensure all close contacts also self-isolate.
The City of Hamilton extends its best wishes to the employee and hopes for a speedy recovery.
Hamilton healthcare providers understand the need for timely COVID-19 testing and are working collaboratively to meet a significant increase in demand.
Visits to testing centres have doubled in recent weeks to approximately 1000 people per day.
Yesterday, calls to Hamilton Public Health Services booking line jumped to 3000 calls, compared to approximately 1000 calls two weeks ago.
In order to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and accommodate faster testing for symptomatic individuals and close contacts of confirmed cases, we are asking people to please book an appointment. Walk-ins will not be guaranteed an immediate test & may need to schedule an appointment.
Due to the nature of the employee’s position working closely with the public, the City of Hamilton is advising that it has been notified that one of its Hamilton Street Railway (HSR) bus operators has tested positive for COVID-19.
The employee last worked on Route #5 Delaware Tuesday, September 8 and Wednesday, September 9, 2020.
Public Health advises there is low risk to the public, however the City decided to advise the public out of an abundance of caution.
The employee notified the City over the weekend after testing positive. The operator and any others they may have come in contact with are currently self-isolating at home.
The operator is at home recovering and the City extends its best wishes to the employee and hopes for...
The City of Hamilton is providing some additional updates as part of the City’s continued efforts for a gradual, safe and measured reopening of municipal facilities and the restart of programs and services.
The City of Hamilton owns several facilities where external user groups typically operate and offer various types of programming...
...The City is working closely with these groups to ensure reopenings in these facilities are safe and meet all of the health and safety requirements before programming may resume. As we continue our efforts to safely reopen facilities, the Emergency Operations Centre will...