Burlington Task Force Update - Week 7

COVID-19 Task Force
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On Thursday May 21st the Burlington COVID-19 Task Force held our 7th weekly meeting. We began with an overview of the changes that were happening this week as a result of provincial announcements related to reopening Ontario, including parking lots and parks, golf courses and tennis courts, off-leash dog areas and more.We then turned our focus to our newest members, Ted and Shelley Kindos who represent the Burlington Restaurant Association and own Gator Ted's Tap & Grill as well as nearby Barra Fion. The restaurant industry has been particularly hard hit by this pandemic, and even though they are permitted to offer take-out and curbside pick-up, their revenues have been significantly diminished and we have already seen the closure of Emma's Back Porch/The Water Street Cooker. Collectively, we all want to do everything we can to support this group of business owners and ensure their longevity in our community as we wait for the green-light to reopen and better understand what controls need to be in place to ensure everyone's health & safety.Eric Vandewall, President & CEO of Joseph Brant Hospital then spoke about the issue of hospital capacity as it relates to COVID-19. While there is, indeed, capacity at this time, it is a fine balance to maintain the space and staffing that also allows for the treatment of other conditions the people of our community are facing. Having enough room for COVID-19 patients is not the only concern - we want to have room for elective surgeries and the other urgent and acute care that our residents depend on. The more we can minimize new cases of COVID-19 by continuing to practice physical distancing, hand washing, and other precautions, the more our health care system can do the full spectrum of work that our community depends on to be healthy and thrive.We heard positive updates on the status of food scarcity in our community and how government financial supports are enabling people to rely less on food banks and see positive impact to their mental health.Read the full highlights here: Burlington COVID-19 Task Force Meeting 7 - Action Items and HighlightsRELATED LINKS:

—PLEASE NOTE: To stay updated on what the City of Burlington is doing regarding COVID-19, please visit the dedicated pages burlington.ca/coronavirus (and subscribe) and bit.ly/mayormeedwardCOVID19updates, and our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page — bit.ly/COVID19BurlingtonFAQ that are updated as new information becomes available.A Burlington COVID-19 Task Force has been created to help support our community through this unprecedented emergency — updates will be provided at burlington.ca/COVID19taskforce.To report an incident of non-compliance with provincial emergency orders, please contact the Halton Regional Police Service COVID-19 Hotline: 905-825-4722.We’ve also created a dedicated page to feature the local organizations and businesses that have inspired us during the COVID-19 pandemic by taking action to support our community in new and creative ways — head to bit.ly/covidwallofinspiration.HELPFUL RESOURCES & RELATED LINKS:

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