WELLINGTON COUNTY – Warden Kelly Linton issued an urgent warning about the local spread of COVID-19 during the Nov. 26 county council meeting.
“For several months Wellington County had only a few confirmed cases of COVID and we were staying between zero and eight cases for about three months,” said Linton.
“That all changed pretty drastically a couple of weeks ago. So as of [Nov. 25] the most recent numbers, we currently have 65 confirmed cases across the county. So compare that to 14 cases in Dufferin and 47 cases in the City of Guelph.
“So unfortunately Wellington County is now pulling our whole region into red.”
The WDGPH region remains in the province’s orange (restrict) COVID-19 alert level, but Linton was hinting that could change soon if the current trend continues or worsens.
Linton said he called a meeting on Nov. 23 with mayors and municipal CAOs from across the county.
Local public health officials, including Medical Officer of Health Dr. Nicola Mercer and director of public health Dr. Chris Beveridge, also attended the meeting, as well as Wellington County OPP detachment commander Inspector Paul Richardson
As a result, Linton said the county communications team is going to “ramp up the urgency in our messaging that were getting out the community,” using traditional and social media channels.
Linton noted Wellington County mayors have also volunteered to do radio ads, already on the airwaves in some areas, with a message that is “consistent across the county.”
In addition, said Linton, “Public health has agreed to provide data about COVID cases by municipality, to help us to be a little more targeted in our education and our enforcement activities.”
He also said public health officials will be working with the OPP “to coordinate targeted enforcement in some of these hotspots that were seeing.”
Linton urged county councillors to share the information throughout their own networks.
“We need to get a real direct and consistent message out there that we need to follow a few simple rules to stop the spread to stay out of red,” Linton stated.
“Dr. Mercer does believe that’s possible, but only if we act decisively and act really fast.”
