Cobourg, ON (March 11, 2020) – The Town of Cobourg would like to inform residents of the numerous precautions its taking across all departments and divisions to prevent against COVID-19 (formerly called novel coronavirus or 2019-nCoV) within the corporation itself and its many highly visited facilities. 

Although the risk of becoming ill from COVID-19 continues to be low in Ontario, the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit (HKPR District Health Unit) and community health partners are continuing to work together to ensure they are prepared should a case develop locally.

Being Prepared – Residents and Community
The Town of Cobourg recognizes the importance of being prepared at the resident and community level for all possible scenarios. In order to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19, everyone has a role to play to help prevent the spread of germs that cause respiratory illnesses. 

The Town of Cobourg has taken the following proactive measures across all of its departments, divisions and facilities including Victoria Hall, The Concert Hall at Victoria Hall, the Cobourg Community Centre and the Venture13 Innovation and Entrepreneurship Centre: 

• Increasing both the frequency and thoroughness of cleaning all chairs, tables, doors, washrooms, handles and counter tops.
• Utilizing the appropriate and recommended cleaning solutions.
• Increasing the number of hand sanitizing stations at all facilities.
• Encouraging staff to remain home to work or rest if exhibiting signs of illness.
• Encouraging customers to remain home to rest and recover rather than attending programs or classes held at Town facilities. 

“Our top priority is to continue to ensure residents of Cobourg are armed with the correct information they need in order to protect themselves and their families,” said Ian Davey, Interim CAO for the Town of Cobourg. “We are enhancing our cleaning and reporting protocols to ensure we minimize risk not only to those who visit our facilities but to our employees as well.” 

Planned Activities and Events
No Town planned activities or events have been canceled at this time.  Large scale events, including the Waterfront Festival and the Sandcastle Festival, are expected to occur as planned.

What is the Province Doing?
Given the global circumstances, last week Ontario implemented an enhanced response structure to formally bring together experts across the health sector to provide clinical expertise and experience to implement provincial and regional plans. This will ensure the province is ready to contain and respond to a COVID-19 outbreak.

Reduce Your Risk
The HKPR District Health Unit recommends the following to reduce the spread of germs including the flu and COVID-19: 

• Wash your hands often with soap and water, or use hand sanitizer
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth unless you have just washed your hands
• Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your arm, not your hand
• Stay home if you are sick
• If you are ill and must visit a hospital emergency department, clinic or other health care provider, call ahead or tell them when you arrive that you have a respiratory illness and wear a mask while waiting to be seen. This allows health care workers to reduce the potential spread of illness.
• Avoid visiting people in hospitals or long-term care homes if you are sick
• Get your flu shot 

Stay Informed
Citizens are encouraged to visit the HKPR District Health Unit’s website www.hkpr.on.ca for the most up-to-date information COVID-19. In addition to the daily updates to the website, Dr. Lynn Noseworthy, Medical Officer of Health for the HKPR District Health Unit., will continue to provide updates on COVID-19 through their website. 

Additional Resources

• Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge Health Unit
• Getting Your Workplace Ready for COVID-19
• Being Prepared – Public Health Agency of Canada
• How to Self-Monitor – Public Health Ontario
• How to Self-Isolate – Public Health Ontario
• Self-Isolation: Guide for Caregivers, Household Members and Close Contacts
• Public Health Agency of Canada
• The Ontario Ministry of Health
• Government of Canada Travel Advice and Advisories
• World Health Organization