Local News

Confirmed COVID-19 cases as of April 16th at 5:30 PM are as follows:

• State of Michigan: 29,263 confirmed cases; 2,093 deaths
• St. Clair County: 256 confirmed cases; 8 deaths
• Ontario: 8,961confirmed cases; 423 deaths
• Sarnia-Lambton: 128 confirmed cases; 11 deaths

A press release from the St. Clair County Sheriff’s office confirmed a total of 7 inmates have tested positive for the Coronavirus at the St. Clair County Intervention and Detention Center. Those inmates have been isolated from the general population in the facility.

In addition, two corrections deputies and one nurse at the IDC have tested positive. All three are off duty until they are recovered from the virus. “We continue to monitor inmates and staff for Coronavirus symptoms per the guidelines laid out by the CDC and the St. Clair County Emergency Operations Center,” said Sheriff Tim Donnellon. “Unfortunately, no location is immune from this virus. Our medical staff, which is on hand 24/7, will continue to work to ensure the safety of our employees and inmates.” As of today, none of those infected have needed hospitalization.

Sarnia is reporting more than one outbreak at institutions caring for the elderly. The first at Landmark Village has 23 confirmed cases, including seven staff and 16 residents. At this time, six of the eleven deaths attributed to COVID-19 in Sarnia are linked to the retirement home. An
additional institutional outbreak at Lambton Meadowview Villa located in Petrolia has also been confirmed.

Please continue to rely on reputable sources for information on COVID-19:

• Centers for Disease Control:  cdc.gov/coronavirus
• State of Michigan: Michigan.gov/coronavirus  or Info Hotline  1-888-535-6136 Daily 8:00 am – 5:00 pm or email questions to COVID19@michigan.gov
• St. Clair County Health Department: COVID-19 Info Hotline (810) 966-4163 Mon – Fri, 8:00 am – 4:30 pm or email questions to covid19@stclaircounty.org
• St. Clair County Community Mental Health COVID-19 Support Line (810) 985-8900, available Monday-Friday, 8:30am – 4:30pm
• Lambton Public Health: https://lambtonpublichealth.ca/2019-novel-coronavirus/
• City of Sarnia COVID-19 Hotline: 1-877-4-SARNIA (1-877-472-7642)

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Rep. Shane Hernandez of Port Huron – chair of the Michigan House Appropriations Committee – today reaffirmed the Legislature’s oversight role of state government during the COVID-19 shutdown.

Following Senate Appropriations Chair Jim Stamas’ call earlier this week for layoffs of non-essential state employees, Hernandez sent letters to state department heads seeking information about how they are managing workloads and evaluating staffing needs during Gov. Whitmer’s mandated statewide shutdown. With tax revenues to the state falling, Hernandez said tough state budget decisions must begin now, and this is a step toward making sure the Legislature has looked into every option to find savings going forward.

“The Legislature’s job does not stop during COVID-19,” Hernandez said. “We continue to look out for the taxpayers we represent, and part of that job is oversight of how state government is operating during this critical time.

“Many state employees are working hard, putting in overtime and making great sacrifices to fight COVID-19 and its repercussions. We are grateful and thank them for their incredible efforts. We also know not every state department is directly involved in the fight against COVID-19, and that is where tough decisions must be made – just like the governor’s shutdown orders are forcing Michigan families and job providers to make tough decisions every day in every part of our state. Many parts of our economy are shut down and many state services are closed. It is important to know how the state employees overseeing these affected areas are continuing to work and what services they are providing.”

Hernandez is seeking answers from state departments by April 27 to the following questions:

1)    What new methods are you using to help your employees fulfill their duties while working from home, and have you had to address any issues of employees not fulfilling their duties?

2)    How are you monitoring employee work hours and have you seen an increase or decrease in hours worked?

3)    What metrics are being used to measure performance and have you seen increases or decreases in productivity?

4)    Have you seen a reduction or increase in service demand and has there been consideration of reducing workforce due to potential revenue declines?

5)    Has there been any consideration of repurposing some of your employees to other duties within your department to manage the new workflow created from the stay at home order?

Hernandez said there could be opportunities to reassign some non-essential state government workers to help deal with overwhelming demand in the state’s failing and overburdened unemployment filing system, among other projects.

“The governor has decided who is ‘essential’ within the entire Michigan workforce, but has neglected to make those same decisions within her own administration,” Hernandez said. “Is the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy able to do field inspections? Is the Liquor Control Commission issuing permits? What is the Michigan Department of Education’s role as schools are shut down statewide with limited at-home instruction? We need to find out, and ask questions about what is happening with state employees sidelined due to the economy.”

Submitted by Tim Martin

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development dispersed $462,000 of additional Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to the City of Port Huron for COVID-19 Relief. City officials plan to work with community organizations that have systems in place to make sure the funds reach those in need.

An action plan was created to distribute the funds, pending approval from the City Council at their next meeting on April 27, 2020:

Community Action Agency: $135,000 for residential rental and mortgage assistance, $75,000 for residential utility bill assistance

COVID-19 Testing Sites: $50,000

EDA: $75,000 for small business assistance

Blue Water Rescue Mission: $20,000 for homeless assistance

Council on Aging: $47,000 for senior citizens/Meals on Wheels

Food Gardening Program: $15,000

Mayor Pauline Repp said, “It is our focus to use these funds to assist the most vulnerable in our community, the families struggling with rent, to pay the utility bills and food insecurity. We do not want to sit on these funds for any amount of time, we are working urgently to get these resources out to our residents in need as fast as possible, because the need is now.” 

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

As you might expect, there are significant decreases in traffic crossing the Blue Water Bridge. Both Canadian and US bridge officials report that auto traffic has decreased by around 95% and commercial truck traffic is down 38%.

Todd Kealey, Director of Communications of Marketing & Government Relations for the Federal Bridge Corporation in Ontario, said that last year at this time, there were an average of 2700 – 3200 cars crossing the bridge each day with thousands more on the weekends. Right now, there is an average of 110-125 cars crossing the border, the majority of them are essential workers employed in the U.S.

Canada and the United States agreed to restrict non-essential travel on March 21st. The Blue Water and other international bridges are being closed to everything but essential travel. The Michigan Department of Transportation announced the travel restrictions based on orders from the United States and Canadian Federal Authorities.

The restrictions also include all land ports and ferries between the U.S. and Canada. Only vehicles engaged in essential travel will be processed to cross the border. Essential travel includes U.S. citizens and permanent residents returning to the U.S., traveling for emergency response and public health purposes, and individuals engaged in lawful cross-border trade such as truck drivers supporting the movement of cargo between the U.S. and Canada. Truck travel remained virtually unchanged after the restrictions were put into place until the automotive industry shutdown.

If you have questions about crossing the bridges, contact Canadian officials at 519-337-8721 or US officials at 810-984-3131.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Wednesday April 15th, traffic slowed to a crawl around the Michigan Capitol in Lansing. Protesters in cars and trucks blocked streets to demonstrate opposition to the coronavirus restrictions put into effect by Michigan’s Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

The protest began at noon, and there were thousands of participants in vehicles honking horns and waving flags. Even though the Facebook group announcing the event asked protesters to stay in their vehicles, many disregarded the request and exited their cars to gather around the capitol. Protest organizers include the Michigan Conservative Coalition and the Michigan Freedom Fund. Their protest was called “Operation Gridlock”. The protesters are upset about Whitmer’s extended “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order, which placed new restrictions on residents and businesses through the end of April.

Protest organizers specifically point to limits on the type of merchandise stores are allowed to sell, the total closure of all indoor restaurant and bar dining facilities, and the limits on certain types of work people perform outside their homes. Whitmer contends that these restrictions are slowing the spread of the coronavirus.

The story caught the attention of national media with coverage on most networks. On a Facebook Live post, media organizers expressed surprise at how quickly the idea went viral. The group’s Facebook page announcing “Operation Gridlock” had more than 4,000 members as of Wednesday morning saying they planned to attend, while another 17,000 expressed interest.  Organizers estimate that upwards of 100,000 people participated in the protest.

Reporting for WGRT – Marty Doorn & Jessie Wiegand

This Monday Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order temporarily extending the expiration date of valid driver’s licenses, state identification cards, and commercial vehicle registrations that would otherwise expire.

“In times of crisis and uncertainty, the last thing you want to think about is having to renew your driver’s license or state ID card,” Whitmer said. “It is my sincere hope this order gives all Michiganders with expiring identification some peace of mind….” This executive order went into effect on April 13th, but it does not apply to drivers with suspended or revoked licenses.

The order temporarily extends commercial vehicle registrations, including temporary registrations to June 30th.  Driver’s licenses, learner’s permits and commercial driver’s licenses set to expire between March 1st and May 31st are also extended to June 30th.  Under the temporary order, penalties for driving with a recently expired but otherwise valid registration are also suspended.  All Secretary of State offices in Michigan are currently closed, making it impossible for residents to renew in person or online.

Reporting for WGRT – Marty Doorn