Burlington, Ont. –
The health and well-being of our community is the top priority for everyone here at the City of Burlington.
Earlier today, Dr. David Williams, Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health and Dr. Hamidah Meghani, Medical Officer of Health for Halton Region confirmed the first case of COVID-19 in our region, a Burlington resident. This is the 41st case confirmed in Ontario. This is a travel-related case and the individual is in self-isolation now at her home after being tested and advised by healthcare professionals.
The full statement from Halton Region can be found at bit.ly/haltonreleasemarch11.
I know our residents will be very concerned and have a lot questions over this news. While we have been advised by our healthcare professionals that the risk to our residents remains low, we are taking this very seriously. We are taking a series of immediate steps to stay on top of this rapidly evolving situation, including enhanced cleaning, cancellation of non-essential travel, and the formation of a rapid response team to assess risk, take precautionary actions as needed and ensure continuation of essential services. More details can be found in a city press release later today.
The situation related to COVID-19 is evolving rapidly, with new information each day. As Mayor, alongside Council, we are committed to ensuring our residents stay as informed and educated as possible, particularly on how this impacts our local community and the steps we are taking. We will continue to provide regular updates. You can stay informed at Burlington.ca as well as on our social media channels: @cityburlington on Twitter and facebook.com/cityburlington. I will also provide regular
updates on my social channels.
Other levels of government are also taking action. I encourage all residents to review the most recent Halton Region Public Health updates on COVID-19 at halton.ca/coronavirus and from the Ministry of Health of Ontario at Ontario.ca/coronavirus along with their expert advice on how to best keep yourself and your family safe and healthy.
Earlier this morning, the Federal Government announced a COVID-19 Response Fund of more than $1 billion towards response measures to the outbreak, investments to limit the spread of the virus in Canada and to prepare for any broader impacts.
I encourage the leadership teams of our local businesses, community groups, schools and places of worship to stay connected with our public health partners and communicate all relevant information as proactively as possible so that our community stays empowered and informed.
It is important that we all act responsibly in helping to limit the spread of this virus in our community and follow the expert advice of our healthcare professionals. Stay home if you are sick. Wash your hands regularly with soap and water, or use hand-sanitizer. Avoid high-risk travel destinations. If you are symptomatic, call Halton Region immediately and self-isolate.
Support those in our community who are self-isolating and do what you can to stay healthy. Help create an environment in our city where people feel comfortable seeking treatment and asking for help. Take care of yourself and each other.
If you have any additional questions about actions you can take and how this might affect you, please reach out to Halton Region by calling 311 or 905-825-6000.