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COVID-19 Task Force Meeting 11 Highlights

With our move to biweekly meetings and next week’s Canada Day holiday, we held our 11th meeting yesterday afternoon. Our next meeting will take place on July 16th.

Our group discussed the feedback we have seen in the community from Burlington’s move into Stage 2 of the provincial reopening, with many residents and businesses happy with the results and seeing a great deal of compliance with physical distancing and mask-wearing throughout the city. Restaurant patios were well-enjoyed in last weekend’s sunshine and we are thrilled to see this industry come back to life. A few long-overdue haircuts happened and folks took a bit of refuge from the humidity in newly re-opened local shopping malls.

We know that nearby beaches such as Cherry Beach in Toronto and Sauble Beach in South Bruce Peninsula saw crowding last weekend and Sauble Beach has decided to temporarily close as a result. We also are well aware of the record highs in new cases being experienced in many U.S. states as restrictions have been loosened so we know we are not out of the woods by any means.

We must all remain vigilant in our adherence to health and safety protocols like hand washing, staying home when sick, physical distancing and wearing masks when physical distancing is a challenge. Respecting social circles and gathering size limits is also important, and this recent graphic from Halton Region does a great job explaining how those work.

Colleen Mulholland of the Burlington Foundation sent word that through their Emergency Community Support Fund granting initiative, 16 charities have now been granted $275,000 with $61,000 remaining to grant, which they expect to see depleted by the end of next week.

The newly created working group that is focused on helping our charitable organizations ideate around fundraising in our new reality, led by Amber Rushton, is in the process of setting up their first meeting.

Eric Vandewall of Joseph Brant Hospital spoke to increases they are seeing in testing, part of which is likely the result of long term care homes requiring visitors to be tested.

We also discussed why the city has not made masks mandatory, which the Mayor recently added to her COVID FAQs page.

Read the full recap here: Burlington COVID-19 Task Force Meeting 11 – Action Items and Highlights

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Marianne Meed Ward

A Better Burlington began in 2006 after my neighbours said they felt left out of city decisions, learning about them only after they’d been made. As journalist for 22 years, I thought “I can do something about that” and a website and newsletter were born. They’ve taken various forms and names over the years, but the intent remains: To let you know what’s happening at City Hall before decisions are made, so you can influence outcomes for A Better Burlington. The best decisions are made when elected representatives tap the wisdom of our community members, and welcome many different perspectives.This site allows residents to comment and debate with each other; our Commenting Guidelines established in 2016 aim to keep debate respectful. Got an idea or comment you want to share privately? Please, get in touch: