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Local News

Bluewater Area COVID-19 Update for August 7, 2020

St. Clair County, MI — Lambton County, Ontario

Cumulative confirmed COVID-19 cases as of August 7, 2020 at  9:00 AM are as follows:

  • State of Michigan: 85,429  confirmed cases; 6,247 deaths
  • St. Clair County: 674 confirmed cases; 52 deaths
  • Ontario: 39,809  confirmed cases;  2,783 deaths
  • Sarnia-Lambton: 319 confirmed cases; 25 deaths

St. Clair County currently has 101 active cases of the virus, down 18 cases from last week, and 6% of hospital beds in the county are being used for COVID-19 patients.

Governor Whitmer signed an Executive Order yesterday requiring face coverings in childcare centers and  camps for children. Staff and children 2 years old and up must wear them on school buses, and staff and children 4 and up must wear them in all indoor common spaces.

Lambton County currently has 17 active cases. Dr. Ranade, Medical Health Officer of Health for Lambton County, wants to remind residents to keep their social circles small. “The virus can quickly spread among close contacts so keep your social circle small – limit is 10, and be very diligent if you choose to attend a larger gathering.”

 

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

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

More Rapid-Response Tests Coming to Michigan

Michigan is part of an interstate compact to get rapid-response COVID-19 antigen tests in the hands of states that are trying to safely reopen their economies while still struggling with infections.

An antigen test reveals if a person is currently infected with the virus. The tests are in short supply and the federal government does not currently have a coordinated system of distributing tests. Six states, led by both Democratic and Republican governors, have entered into an agreement with the Rockefeller Foundation to ramp up test production and distribution. The Foundation’s goal is to facilitate 30 million tests per week, nationwide. 

The interstate compact would get a half million tests to Michigan to assist with expanding long-term testing in places like schools, workplaces, and nursing homes.

In announcing the compact, Governor Gretchen Whitmer pointed to widespread testing as “one of the most crucial tools we have to stop the spread of this virus and save lives”. She implored the federal government to follow the lead of the states.

Additional states, as well as local governments may join into the compact into the near future.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Loves Furniture & Mattresses Hiring for Port Huron Store

Port Huron, MI — Loves Furniture & Mattresses, a new home furnishings retailer, is hiring for several positions at their new location in Port Huron Twp. Loves Furniture is moving into the space previously occupied by Art Van Furniture across from Sam’s Club.

Positions are available in customer pick-up, general labor, and the housekeeping departments, and they are also hiring Home Specialists “to deliver an exceptional customer experience through a relationship and solution based selling process.”

Loves Furniture and Mattresses was founded in 2020, and they describe themselves as a neighborhood furniture store for the modern age. They recently took over most of the Art Van and Levin storefronts in the Midwest, and they are hiring around 1,000 employees to work in their stores in Metro Detroit, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Customers can shop online, by appointment, or as walk-ins to the store.

The Port Huron store is projected to open at the end of August.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Be on the Lookout for Asian Longhorn Beetles

On your next walk or hike in the woods, you can help Michigan’s environment and economy by checking the trees for signs of invasive beetles.

 Any invasive pests should be reported to the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, but of particular concern is the Asian longhorned beetle. The beetle has not yet been spotted in Michigan, but if it makes its way here, it could cause trouble for the state’s environment and economy. 

August is “Tree Check Month”, as designated by the United States Department of Agriculture.Over $750 million dollars have been spent nationwide to eradicate the beetle since its arrival in 1996. It is believed to have arrived in wooden packing materials from Asia. 

Tell-tale signs of an Asian Longhorned Beetle infestation are perfectly round holes in trees, about the diameter of a pencil, wood shavings on the ground, and dead branches falling from otherwise healthy-looking trees.

According to MDARD, “Every known infestation of Asian longhorned beetle in the U.S. was discovered and reported by a member of the public who knew what to look for and how to report it.”

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Black River Canal Dredging on Friday

Weather permitting, the City of Port Huron will begin dredging sand from the mouth of the Black River Canal on Friday, August 7th , 2020. During dredging, the Black River Canal will be closed to watercraft from the Tainter gate, located east of Gratiot Avenue, to Lake Huron.

Also weather permitting, sand dredged from Black River Canal will be placed in Lake Huron from Holland Beach to the south on Tuesday, August 11 th and Wednesday August 12 th , 2020. Due to the work, Holland Beach will be closed.

The contractor will be utilizing Gratiot to LaSalle, Conger to Holland to haul sand from the mouth of the Black River Canal to Holland Beach. There will be intermittent slowed, and stop and go traffic in these areas. We encourage the public to not park on these streets during this time frame.

If there are any further questions regarding this matter, please contact the Department of Public Works 810 984-9730.

State Police Asked to Enforce COVID Laws

An Executive Directive was signed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer earlier this week that directed state departments and heads of autonomous agencies to do a better job of enforcing COVID-19 laws. Those laws include capacity limitations and safety protocols. It was also announced that the State Police will be enforcing COVID laws just like any other laws.

Cases of COVID-19 have risen from 15 per million to 50 per million from mid-June to late July. Whitmer fears that Michigan could move back into Phase Three if the infection rate continues on the upward trajectory. She is relying on enforcement of the prevention practices to slow the spread of the highly contagious virus. Nursing homes, meat processing plants, and agricultural housing are singled out in the directive as requiring an increase in compliance enforcement.

Departments are asked to consider revoking licenses where violations are found. According to the press release from the Governor’s office, the Michigan State Police will be enforcing the laws, such as executive orders and DHHS epidemic orders, in the same manner as any other violation of law, applying their discretion as appropriate. 

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland