Bancroft This Week
254 Hastings Street North K0L1c0 Bancroft, ON, Canada

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COVID-19 vaccine weekly update Submitted by Hastings Prince Edward Public Health Unit Hastings Prince Edward Public Health Unit’s COVID-19 Vaccine Roll Out Plan will help facilitate the efficient and effective delivery of the COVID-19 vaccines in Hastings and Prince Edward Counites and aligns with the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Plan. As part of our effort to ensure transparent information sharing with all partners and the public, we will be providing a...Continue reading

OPP respond to collision on Hastings Street North Submitted by Bancroft OPP Detachment On Thursday, March 18 shortly after 2 p.m. officers from the Bancroft Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police responded to the report of a two vehicle collision on Hastings Street North in the Town of Bancroft. Investigation revealed that one of the vehicles were stolen and that the driver had left the scene on foot. The driver was located by officers and arrested. A 33-year-old of Sout...h Algonquin Township has been charged with the criminal offences of: -Operation while impaired - alcohol and drugs -Operation while impaired - blood drug concentration -Possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000 -Dangerous operation -Possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000 - two counts The accused was held in custody and is scheduled to appear for a bail hearing at the Ontario Court of Justice in Belleville, Ontario on March 19, 2021 in relation to the criminal offences. See more

The Bancroft Times Word on the Street question this week is: What is your favourite way to use maple syrup, and why? Your answer could be featured in the next issue of the newspaper so don't forget to post a picture with your answer.

HPEPH commitment to anti-racism strategy status update Submitted by Hastings Prince Edward Public Health Last summer, Hastings Prince Edward Public Health made a commitment to undertake four key steps that will help establish an Anti-Racism Strategy. While progress has been delayed due to the demands of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have achieved the following: 1. Develop an internal Anti-Racism Working Group to review internal policies and practices. The group will include membe...rs of the organization from various levels and departments Our emergency response to COVID-19 has delayed the establishment of an anti-racism working group as the organization remains in full incident management mode. When staff capacity increases, we fully intend to gather appropriate members of our organization to ensure anti-racism is embedded in our policies. In the meantime, we are consistently reflecting on current practice to ensure anti-racism is a part of our everyday work. 2. Launch a web page to improve awareness of the impacts of the social determinants of health as related to race. This resource will provide residents of our communities with an opportunity to learn more about these important issues. We launched several Social Determinants of Health web pages in the summer of 2020. We have received valuable feedback from the community, and we plan to improve and adapt the content on an ongoing basis. 3. Provide education to our own staff to enable them to reject racism, and connect them with appropriate public health related resources for use in their practice. We have provided staff with resources to learn how to combat racism in public health practice. We have worked with local agencies including Quinte United Immigration Services to help inform our COVID-19 response and recognize concerns of inequity. We intend to strengthen further training opportunities when are available for professional development. 4. Strive to collect race-based data in order to better identify and understand health inequities related to race. We began collecting race-based and other sociodemographic data since the early Fall 2020. Collecting this information has helped us better understand which groups are being the most affected by COVID-19 in our communities. All case and contact management staff were educated on how to collect this information appropriately and with sensitivity. See more

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OPP reports collisions down, traffic fatalities up in 2020 Submitted by OPP East Region Headquarters The Ontario Provincial Police is releasing its 2020 collision and fatality data, noting historic highs in deaths among some vehicle user classes. During an unprecedented year that saw a significant reduction in traffic on OPP-patrolled roads, collisions in 2020 resulted in a higher fatality rate than in the previous year. Of note is that there were 26 per cent fewer collisions...Continue reading

The Bancroft Times and Bancroft This Week is looking for pictures your Easter art and scavenger hunts. Post your pictures here or send them to [email protected].

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The Bancroft Times Word on the Street question this week is: If you could visit any world monument, museum or treasure/wonder, which would it be and why? Your answer could be featured in the next issue of the newspaper so don't forget to post a picture with your answer.

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Non-essential travel discouraged in order to keep HPEPH in green/prevent zone Submitted by Hastings and Prince Edward Counties On Nov. 20, the province announced that Hastings and Prince Edward Public Health will remain in the green/prevent zone of Ontario’s COVID-19 Response Framework for another week. Currently in Hastings and Prince Edward Counties there are 15 active cases of COVID-19, with 14 of these being new cases that have been reported over the past seven days. With... 14 new cases being reported in the region over the past seven days, the local incidence rate of COVID-19 cases is 8.3 per 100,000 people. The incidence rate demonstrates how quickly rates of the virus are increasing in the region. Within the COVID-19 Response Framework, an incidence rate that exceeds 10 cases per 100,00 people is one of the factors considered by the province to determine if HPEPH should move into the yellow/protect zone. Considering the population in Hastings and Prince Edward Counties, HPEPH will exceed this rate if 17 new cases of COVID-19 are identified locally over a seven-day period. As case numbers continue to grow in the region, residents are asked to remain diligent with their efforts to practice public health protocols, and consider additional changes to their travel and social habits. The entire team at HPEPH continues to be grateful for the ongoing efforts of the community to curb the spread of COVID-19 and recognizes that these efforts are not easy. However, residents are asked to carefully consider how essential their travel and social activities may be, recognizing that any situation where there is close contact with others can increase the risk of contracting and spreading the virus. I am asking all residents to consider additional changes they can make to help reduce the risk of exposure to, and spread of, COVID-19, says Dr. Piotr Oglaza, Medical Officer of Health and CEO at HPEPH. Please avoid travel to other regions unless absolutely necessary. Consider postponing invitations for visits from friends or family members who reside in other areas. Every new case in our region increases the risk of local spread and could severely impact our vulnerable loved ones. In addition to avoiding unnecessary travel, everyone is asked to continue their efforts to reduce their number of high-risk contacts in general, which will help slow the spread of illness. To reduce high risk contacts, avoid the three C’s: closed spaces with poor ventilation; crowded places; and close contact where you can't practice physical distancing. All residents should continue to monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 and follow guidance provided in provincial assessment tools regarding testing and isolation. See more

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Do your part to prevent the spread of COVID-19 Submitted by Hastings and Prince Edward Counties As cases of COVID-19 continue to rise across the province, the continued efforts of Hastings and Prince Edward County residents have helped keep local infection rates relatively low. Currently, HPEPH is in the green/prevent zone of the province’s COVID-19 response framework, with standard preventative measures in place. However, over the past few weeks, several cases in HPEC have b...een acquired through local transmission. Local transmission is defined as cases that have no known close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19, and no recent travel outside of HPEC. All residents are asked to do their part to reduce the risk of local transmission of COVID-19 and avoid additional restrictions for our region, says Dr. Piotr Oglaza, medical officer of health and CEO at HPEPH. If you are feeling unwell, stay home for all but essential reasons such as medical appointments or getting tested for COVID-19. Visiting public places while you feel sick or have symptoms can increase the risk of spreading illness to others in the community, and severely impact those who are more vulnerable, such as older adults or individuals living in long term care homes. Everyone is asked to decrease their number of high-risk contacts, which will help reduce the spread of illness. To decrease high risk contacts, avoid the 3 C’s: closed spaces with poor ventilation, crowded places, and close contact where you can’t practice physical distancing. To further prevent the spread of COVID-19 or any illness, practice five fundamental actions: - Stay home when ill, as directed by provincial assessment tools; - Always physical distance with those outside your household; - Wear a mask or face covering in public spaces, as well as when physical distancing is difficult or not possible; - Wash your hands often; and - Get tested if you have symptoms of COVID-19 Public health has processes in place to identify and notify close/high risk contacts of confirmed cases. All high-risk contacts of COVID-19 will be contacted directly and monitored by HPEPH. Low risk contacts, or contacts of high-risk contacts, are advised to monitor for symptoms for 14 days and seek testing if symptoms develop. Low risk contacts do not need to isolate unless symptoms develop or otherwise advised. All residents should monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 and follow guidance provided in provincial assessment tools regarding testing and isolation. See more