Public health is reporting five more positive cases of COVID-19 in Hamilton, Ont.
Associate medical officer of health, Dr. Elizabeth Richardson, says three of the people are in hospital recovering and the other two – connected to the outbreak at Heritage Green Nursing Home revealed on Saturday – are still being treated there.
Hamilton now has 32 positive cases in the city with 26 per cent of all cases coming from people aged between 65 and 79.
There are two cases connected to community spread, according to Richardson.
On Monday, Ontario’s ministry of health revealed that a man in his 40s and another in his 50s are the two new positive cases in Halton region.
The latter cases were both related to travel with the 40-year-old now self-isolating at home after a trip to Jamaica. The other returned from Puerto Rico, St Thomas, and Barbados.
The Ministry of Health says there are currently 489 positive tests and six deaths in the province since they began tracking the virus earlier this year.
Despite the new cases, Hamilton’s associate medical officer of health, Bart Harvey, told Global News he does believe residents and workers in the city are getting the message and avoiding close interaction.
“I’m pleased when I walk around to some degree. It feels like a bit of a ghost town,” said Harvey.
“It’s a key strategy in us trying to decrease the transmission of this virus where ultimately we know we’re not going to be perfect because we’re still seeing new cases come in.”
On the weekend, public health declared a coronavirus outbreak at Heritage Green Nursing Home in Stoney Creek, Ont.
It comes after a second resident at the facility, a 55-year-old woman, tested positive on March 19.
The first confirmed case of COVID-19 at the nursing home was reported Wednesday and involved an 80-year-old female resident who lives on the same floor as the second patient at the nursing home.
On Saturday, McDonald’s closed down one of its restaurants on the mountain in Hamilton after a worker reportedly tested positive for COVID-19, according to a spokesperson.
The restaurant chain says the employee worked at the 20 Rymal Road East location and was on duty between noon and 8 p.m. on March 15.
“We are in contact with Ontario Public Health to confirm this report. Out of an abundance of caution, McDonald’s Canada made the decision to immediately shut down the restaurant for a thorough cleaning,” said spokesperson Ryma Boussoufa.
Meanwhile, the mayor of Burlington declared a state of emergency in the city due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Marianne Meed Ward called for the shut down of all local malls and non-essential businesses for the time being.
Ward said the move was based on expert medical advice, and apparent “complacency” in the community to self-isolate and engage in social distancing.
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