Hamilton parents may want to check their expectations for return to child care
Published June 9, 2020 at 8:23 pm
While many Hamilton parents likely rejoiced at the news that child care centres will be able to open by Friday, the city’s director of Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) warns that we should probabl
While many Hamilton parents likely rejoiced at the news that child care centres will be able to open by Friday, the city’s director of Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) warns that we should probably check our expectations.
At Tuesday’s (June 9) virtual media update, Paul Johnson said that the timeline announced by the province earlier in the day is “optimistic.”
“This is the earliest date that they can open,” he said. “This is going to take time.”
Johnson said that while they haven’t yet received formal guidelines from the province for opening daycares, there is an expectation that less than half of Hamilton’s pre-pandemic child care spots will be available immediately.
“Child care is going to look very different,” he said, noting that there will be far more restrictions and fewer children in these settings as well as enhanced sanitization protocols.
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He also suggested that under these new circumstances, child care services will likely become more expensive but it was one of those elements of the process of reopening that is still up in the air.
“This is going to be a slow and measured increase of child care in this community,” Johnson said. “I expect families will be hearing from their child care providers soon about what comes next.”
Johnson urges parents to pay attention to local sources of information for updates to child care guidelines which are expected in the days and weeks to come.
The City of Hamilton is reporting 745 cases of COVID-19 in the community as of Tuesday — that’s just three new cases from the most recent reporting on Monday.
Of those cases, 738 are confirmed and seven are probable.
Hamilton’s death toll remains at 41 while the city’s rate of resolved cases continues to climb. The number of resolved cases is 538, representing 78 per cent of Hamilton’s overall case count.
The number of people being treated in local hospitals has been steadily declining as well. There are presently 37 people being treated for the virus in Hamilton hospitals.
Hamilton’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Elizabeth Richardson noted Tuesday that 43 per cent of people testing positive for COVID-19 in the last ten days have been between the age of 20 and 29.
She said that in the coming days, a new campaign aimed at engaging this demographic will be launching. The largely social media campaign will offer suggestions for keeping safe and preventing the spread of the virus through hand washing and masking.
Masking will also now be a requirement for accessing public transit in Hamilton.
Johnson told the media that the HSR will be asking people to don non-medical masks when using the bus. People with health issues who can’t wear a mask or children under two aren’t required to wear a mask and they won’t be asking for proof.
“[Wearing a mask] is a requirement we hope people will adhere to,” he said.
Buses are being fitted with shields to protect drivers and will allow for people to board at the front of the bus and to resume the collection of fares, Johnson said.
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