Marystown area in Newfoundland working hard to contain COVID-19 outbreak: mayor
The mayor of a small town in Newfoundland says his community is coming together to battle an outbreak of COVID-19 that had resulted in 39 confirmed cases as of Saturday night, with more expected to be confirmed Sunday.
Mayor Brian Keating said in a telephone interview on Sunday that people in Marystown and nearby communities located on the Burin Peninsula are signing up for testing clinics set up by Eastern Health.
Keating said public health officials have informed him that 974 people have been tested for the virus and more than 400 are booked for testing Sunday in the town, which has a population of about 5,000 people.
Meanwhile, he said residents are supporting families of children from a local school where the illness has taken hold.
"It's more personal where it's such a small community ... Everybody is being kind and compassionate," he said. "I'm proud of my little town."
Residents are dropping off treats and toys for children who are ill and are reaching out to see what is needed, he said.
During a briefing on Friday in St. John's, provincial Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald said most of the initial cases occurred at Sacred Heart Academy in Marystown, though the original source of the outbreak was under investigation.
The school has 460 students from kindergarten to Grade 7, and has been closed since Thursday due to the outbreak.
Keating says most of the community's residents have been vaccinated, though people under 20 are still receiving their doses, and he's hopeful this will help limit hospitalizations.
The mayor said the virus started to spread over the past week, and exposure notices were posted for Sacred Heart Academy and the local arena.
The area is currently under an alert level 3, which includes health measures that limit gatherings at home and formal events and cancels group and team sports and recreational events. Performance spaces, bars, lounges, cinemas and bingo halls must close.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 24, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Train derailed in Sarnia after colliding with a truck
Police are investigating after a transport truck collided with a train in Sarnia.
Fewer medical students going into family medicine contributing to doctor shortage
As some family doctors are retiring and others are moving away from family medicine, there are fewer medical students to take their place.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.