City, Police and Public Health Clarify Position on Emergency Orders

It’s been a confusing weekend following Friday’s announcement of new, more stringent COVID-19 restrictions by the Provincial government. Perhaps sensing that uncertainty, the City of Guelph, Guelph Police Service, and Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health issued a joint statement on Sunday morning that clarified the new police powers, and when they will be used. Continue reading “City, Police and Public Health Clarify Position on Emergency Orders”

Public Health Opens Pre-Registration to all Adults as Local Cases Hit Record High

A bit of good news in a field of bad was announced on Monday by Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health: By this time on Tuesday, at least one-quarter of the residents in the region will have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Public Health has also announced that pre-registration for a vaccine shot is now open to all people in the region over the age of 16, but it comes on the worst day for new cases since the start of the pandemic. Continue reading “Public Health Opens Pre-Registration to all Adults as Local Cases Hit Record High”

RECAP: Board of Health Hears Update as Pandemic Rapidly Changes Again

This month’s Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Board of Health meeting took place in the immediate shadow of a new stay-at-home and State of Emergency order from the Government of Ontario. In this Twitter thread covering the meeting, Medical Officer of Health Dr. Nicola Mercer and her staff explained the decision making behind the cancellation of in-person learning at area schools, and the progress of the region’s vaccination efforts. Continue reading “RECAP: Board of Health Hears Update as Pandemic Rapidly Changes Again”

Guelph Schools Stop In-person Learning as Local Infection Rate Doubles

It was the news nobody wanted to hear on an Easter Monday, everyone was going back to school on Tuesday to stay home again on Wednesday. On Monday night, the two local school boards and Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health all announced their intention to cease in-person learning after Tuesday, for two weeks, as the province struggles with a rapid increase in new COVID cases from the third wave. Continue reading “Guelph Schools Stop In-person Learning as Local Infection Rate Doubles”

Ontario Government Slams on Emergency Break for Whole Province

Our brief flirtation with re-opening the economy is over, and the third wave is officially here. That seems to be the news as the holiday weekend begins with the announcement that all 34 of Ontario’s public health authorities will be initiating a province-wide emergency break on Saturday April 3 at 12:01 am. The rapidly increasing COVID-19 case counts cannot be denied, and the Ontario government is taking drastic action. Continue reading “Ontario Government Slams on Emergency Break for Whole Province”

MANGEZ! Dine Safe Guide for March 1-31, 2021

Every month, Guelph Politico posts the latest inspection results from the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health Unit inspection of local restaurants, hotels, cafes, grocery stores and other businesses that handle food. We call it “Mangez!”, and this column highlights the latest inspections done by WDGPH, and the results they’ve posted. Continue reading “MANGEZ! Dine Safe Guide for March 1-31, 2021”

CITY PAGES: Public Health Scams, New Arts Hub, and Paramedic Money

The City of Guelph puts out a lot of information on a weekly basis, and while it all ends up on the City’s website somewhere, wouldn’t it be easier to just scroll through it all on one easy-to-read article on Guelph Politico here…? Continue reading “CITY PAGES: Public Health Scams, New Arts Hub, and Paramedic Money”

Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph is Going Orange Again

For the first time since the second week of December, the areas represented by Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health will be entering the Orange-Restrict level. Eight health units are on the move after this week’s announcement about the changes in COVID-19 restrictions from Queen’s Park, and Guelph’s good news comes with some slight adjustments to our own local COVID protection protocols. Continue reading “Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph is Going Orange Again”

GUELPH POLITICAST #265 – COVID-19: One Year Later…

Outside of the City of Guelph or Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health, it’s hard to think of a group that’s been more entwined with the day-in/day-out issues of COVID-19 than the Guelph Family Health Team. From testing to vaccination, the Family Health Team has been in the thick of it through the pandemic, and one year later it seems timely to get some insight from behind the scenes. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #265 – COVID-19: One Year Later…”

Public Health Says They’re Ready to Scale Up on COVID Shots, Just Need More Doses

Like how the Victoria Road Recreation Centre was once the location of the local COVID-19 assessment centre, the West End Community Centre is now a mass vaccination site. On Tuesday, Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health opened the doors to their newest vaccine clinic set up in one of the two ice rinks at the rec facility on Imperial Road, part of their plan to make it easier to give out an increased number of jabs as more vaccine becomes available. Continue reading “Public Health Says They’re Ready to Scale Up on COVID Shots, Just Need More Doses”