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Local News

COVID-19 Update for the Blue Water Area May 15, 2020

Confirmed COVID-19 cases as of May 15th at  9 AM are as follows:

  • State of Michigan: 49,582 confirmed cases; 4,787 deaths
  • St. Clair County: 394 confirmed cases; 28 deaths
  • Ontario: 21,494 confirmed cases; 1,798 deaths
  • Sarnia-Lambton: 213 confirmed cases; 17 deaths

Confirmed Cases in St. Clair County remained the same since last week, but the county suffered five additional deaths. There are currently 78 active cases of COVID-19 reported in St. Clair County, and 3% of all hospital beds are being used for COVID-19 patients.

The St. Clair County Health Department created a new digital dashboard (available <HERE>) for more detailed reports of COVID-19 cases, that dashboard breaks down data into several segments such as confirmed and probable cases, hospitalizations, and recovered cases.

It is important to note that WGRT is continuing to report confirmed cases from each area, not total cases which are a combination of confirmed and probable cases. We have chosen to approach the data this way to simplify our reports and to create uniformity in the numbers we are reporting for each region, St.Clair County, Lambton County, Michigan, and Ontario.

Cases in Sarnia rose by 20 since last week, and the county suffered 1 additional death.

Today, the Ontario government announced the retailers, seasonal businesses, and health and community service providers who will be permitted to open or expand their services on Tuesday, May 19, 2020 at 12:01 AM, provided that the general trend on health indicators continues to improve as part of the first stage of the government’s reopening framework.

  • Retail services that are not in shopping malls and have separate street-front entrances with measures in place that can enable physical distancing, such as limiting the number of customers in the store at any one time and booking appointments beforehand or on the spot.
  • Seasonal businesses and recreational activities for individual or single competitors, including training and sport competitions conducted by a recognized national or provincial sport organization. This includes indoor and outdoor non-team sport competitions that can be played while maintaining physical distancing and without spectators, such as tennis, track and field and horse racing.
  • Animal services, specifically pet care services, such as grooming and training, and regular veterinary appointments.
  • Indoor and outdoor household services that can follow public health guidelines, such as housekeepers, cooks, cleaning and maintenance.
  • Lifting essential workplace limits on construction.

Additional seasonal services and activities will be permitted to open as early as Saturday May 16, 2020 at 12:01 AM, in time for the Victoria Day long weekend, as key public health indicators continue to show progress.

  • Golf courses will be able to open, with clubhouses open only for washrooms and restaurants open only for take-out.
  • Marinas, boat clubs and public boat launches may open for recreational use.
  • Private parks and campgrounds may open to enable preparation for the season and to allow access for trailers and recreational vehicles whose owners have a full season contract.
  • Businesses that board animals, such as stables, may allow boarders to visit, care for or ride their animal.

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

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Woman’s Life Adds to Their Board of Directors

Members of Woman’s Life Insurance Society from across the country cast their ballots to elect three directors to the Woman’s Life Board of Directors.

Elected to serve as Directors for four-year terms beginning May 1, 2020, were: Brenda L. Doll, North Dakota; Kathy K. Regalado, Colorado; and Charlene J. Yard, Indiana. Brenda, Kathy, and Charlene join Diane E. Lofquist, Michigan; Karen R. Palka, Michigan; and Janice U. Whipple, Michigan, to bring the total number of elected directors to six. The seventh and final member of the board is the National President, Christopher J. Martin, who is appointed by the board.

Woman’s Life Insurance Society is a community life insurance provider offering quality financial products including whole life insurance, term life insurance, and fixed deferred annuities designed to help women and their families plan for a secure financial future. Through the sale of these financial products, Woman’s Life funds community projects held by members to benefit charitable organizations and individuals in need in the communities where they live.

Woman’s Life also has has member chapters that provide women with fun social activities and fundraising opportunities in their communities. Locally, Woman’s Life Chapters have donated their time and talent in many ways to benefit area nonprofits and community groups.

To learn more, visit www.womanslife.org or call 800-521-9292

Realtor Optimistic that Market Will Bounce Back

Recently, a group of mortgage experts were surveyed by bankrate.com concerning the direction they expect mortgage rates to change on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fifty-five percent of the experts surveyed expect rates to go up, twenty-seven percent expect them to go down, and eighteen percent expect them remain the same.

If you were hoping to buy or sell a home, the past few weeks have been especially difficult. Everyone is well aware of how restaurants and other small business are struggling; it’s easy to forget that our local real estate market has been impacted as well.

Jeff Kakos, Owner and Broker at Hanging Gardens Real Estate, told WGRT, “I’m super optimistic about the residential real estate market. Lenders are lending! Interest rates are very low.” Jeff went on to say, “The lack of housing supply and strong buyer demand before the shut down is still true today. Also, new construction costs are very high, so new home supply is not meeting the demand. My prediction is, if everyone gets back to work, residential real estate will still be strong.”

Reporting for WGRT – Marty Doorn

Facebook Removes Grassroots Group

On April 8th, Michigan chiropractor Garrett Soldano started a Facebook group to express his frustration with what he believed to be Governor Whitmer’s forced, excessive quarantine on Michiganders. The group grew exponentially over the next few weeks reaching 386,227 members until it disappeared from Facebook on May 13th. Soldano believes the group is being censored by Facebook because of its message.

Soldano noted several things began to change as the group grew. New memberships began to slow down, livestream sessions were disrupted, accounts were suspended, and posts began to disappear for “violating community standards”. Ultimately, the account was deleted by Facebook, and access to the entire history of over 14 million posts was removed. 

Now, Soldano and his supporters have taken a different approach to activism for their cause. They have incorporated and formed a pending non-profit organization, called Stand Up Michigan Inc. According to a press release, “The vision of Stand Up Michigan is to reclaim and defend the rights and liberties of We the People of Michigan. Their mission is to educate, equip and empower “We The People” to stand up for sacred values, citizen rights and constitutional freedoms.” 

To listen to WGRT’s interview with Garrett Soldano, click <HERE>.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

 

 

Wear Your Life Jacket to Work on Friday

Friday is Wear Your Life Jacket to Work Day. The National Safe Boating Council encourages all boaters to participate by wearing their life jacket to work (or from wherever they are safely working) to spread awareness of water and boat safety.

“If you love boating, this awareness day is for you! No matter if you’re on the job or working safely from home, Wear Your Life Jacket to Work Day is an opportunity to have fun and share with others just how much you love boating,” said Yvonne Pentz, communications director of the National Safe Boating Council, the lead organization for the Safe Boating Campaign, a worldwide effort focused on responsible boating.

U.S. Coast Guard statistics show that drowning was the reported cause of death in four out of every five recreational boating fatalities in 2018, and that 84 percent of those who drowned were not wearing life jackets. With a large percentage of outdoor recreation involving water our area, safety is very important.

You can participate in Wear Your Life Jacket to Work Day, by sharing a picture yourself on social media wearing a life jacket at work or home and using the hashtag #lifejacket2work and tagging @boatingcampaign on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

Winners will be chosen randomly throughout the day to receive boating swag from the Safe Boating Campaign, such as t-shirts, dry bags, first aid kits, stickers, and more.

May 16 – 22nd is National Safe Boating Week

Boating and fishing access information, educational resources, and more safe boating tips can be found at safeboatingcampaign.com. The Safe Boating Campaign is produced under a grant from the Sports Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund and administered by the U.S. Coast Guard.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

 

FCA Response to Sick Worker: Our Safety Protocols Designed to Protect Us

Governor Gretchen Whitmer allowed the manufacturing sector to restart on Monday, May 11th, and Big 3 auto plants began bringing back their workers. After just three days of working, an employee at Sterling Heights Assembly Plant, owned by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, tested positive for COVID-19.

Before workers were recalled, FCA established safety protocols and mailed employees a packet of information describing the changes to their work environment. The company provided employees with information about what FCA did to get the plants ready for their return, including a thorough cleaning and redesigned work and break areas, along with what they will continue to do once workers are regularly in the plants.

There were also detailed instructions on the role employees would play in keeping themselves and their coworkers safe. These included a daily risk assessment each employee would need to perform before entering the workplace, the use of PPE, hygiene practices, and rules for social distancing.

Now that work has begun, the company shows no signs of slowing down in the face of a COVID-19 positive employee. Mark Stewart, COO of FCA North America, said in a letter to employees, “I am pleased to say that our protocols worked as envisaged. The person was isolated and quarantined, more importantly our social distancing and personal protection equipment protocols were in full use. Face masks and safety glasses which are now mandatory in our plants, and are issued as people enter, were being worn and this along with the newly installed protective barriers between certain stations on our assembly line illustrated the depth and professionalism of the planning that has been put in place to prepare for the opening of our plants and the protection of our people.”

He went on to say, “While none of us want to see anyone impacted by COVID-19, if and when we have colleagues affected, we have the layers of safety protocols designed to protect us all.”

The situation at FCA demonstrates something all workers and employers will be faced with as the country seeks to return to work and restart the economy. Despite the best laid plans, COVID-19 can still spread in the community. This reality shows the importance of instituting safety protocols, no matter how cumbersome they may seem, and it underscores each individual’s responsibility to contribute to their own safety and the safety of those around them.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand