Hamilton had five new COVID-19 outbreaks on Friday — including staff who work on the COVID-19 unit at St. Joseph’s Healthcare and an inmate at the Barton Street jail.

St. Joseph’s also has staff infected at the West 5th campus and on a medical unit at the hospital on Charlton Avenue East.

Lastly, another long-term care home has been hit with the virus, as St. Joseph’s Villa declared an outbreak.

“What we’re witnessing in long-term care facilities across the country is extremely troubling,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday. “It’s unacceptable.”

Meanwhile, Halton revealed for the first time that six people in Burlington have died of COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic.

It is the highest death toll in Halton outside of an outbreak at Mountainview Residence in Georgetown, where nine residents have died.

The Burlington deaths, which do not appear to be connected to outbreaks, make up one-third of Halton’s 18 deaths from COVID-19.

Six Nations has reported two new confirmed cases bringing its total to 11.

“The curve was flattening and now we are having what we all hope is a very small blip,” Six Nations health services director Lori Davis Hill said in a statement. “But the height of that blip will be decided by our actions in the coming days.”

The province says it will release a framework early next week on reopening Ontario’s economy. At the same time, a motion will go to Hamilton city council Wednesday to start the process of creating a mayor’s task force on recovery.

But the province and municipality both warn it will be a slow and gradual process, and that life won’t look like it did before the virus for some time yet.

“This is not a going to be a normal situation, it’s not going to back to the way it was three or four months ago,” said Mayor Fred Eisenberger. “As long as this virus exists there is going to be restrictions.”

He also said that what life looks like in Hamilton will be different from other cities.

“There’s no cookie cutter to this,” he said. “When we look at how we are going to come out of this, it’s very specific to our community ... That relaxing might be different in Hamilton than it is in St. Catharines based on where we are at.”

Both the province and the federal government announced measures Friday to help small businesses from April until June, including a 75 per cent reduction in rent.

Earlier in the week, the federal government detailed assistance for post-secondary students who can’t get summer jobs. Aid for large businesses and seniors is said to be coming soon.

“We are facing one of the largest health crises and the largest economic crisis of our lifetime and Canadians needs help,” said Trudeau.

The federal government announced Friday that Stryker Canada, headquartered in Waterdown, is producing 82 sterilization units that have been approved by Health Canada for N95 respirators so the desperately needed personal protective equipment can be reused.

“While the data may appear promising in some parts of the country, models suggest there may be future outbreaks even after we get through this first peak,” Minister of Public Services and Procurement Anita Anand said in announcing the Stryker contract. “In terms of our procurements, this possibility means we are still preparing for all eventualities.”

The city says small numbers of staff will start working at the Gage Park Greenhouse again. But it will not close James Street North to car traffic.

“The message remains the same: Stay at home, stay close to home and only travel for essential daily activities,” said Paul Johnson, director of Hamilton’s Emergency Operations Centre. “We’re not going to be pursuing a road closure at this time there or in any other place.”

A number of annual fundraisers are going online, including the Dr. Bob Kemp Hospice virtual hike, the IG Wealth Management Walk for Alzheimer’s and the Art Gallery of Hamilton 2020 Art Sale.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

Hamilton still has community spread but it has now reached the point that cases are doubling every 31 days, compared to doubling every five days as it was around April 7. The doubling calculation is done by public health and involves more than just confirmed cases.

“That is really, really good news,” said Hamilton’s medical officer of health, Dr. Elizabeth Richardson. “We think we’re sitting in that peak, post-peak sort of period overall, but that’s not the case unfortunately for our long-term care homes and retirement homes.”

Hamilton has 12 ongoing outbreaks including two staff infected in a unit caring for COVID-19 patients at St. Joseph’s.

Four more staff tested positive in a medicine unit at the hospital on Charlton Avenue East. Two staff from the West 5th mental health hospital are ill. All are self-isolating at home and none of the three outbreaks are believed to be related.

There is no information yet on the outbreak at St. Joseph’s Villa on Governors Road.

At the Hamilton-Wentworth Detention Centre, one inmate has tested positive for the virus.

No area seniors’ homes will be getting help from the Canadian military, including Anson Place in Hagersville which has one of Ontario’s worst outbreaks with 27 residents dead, 44 more sick and 31 infected staff.

The five homes chosen by the province to get the extra support from the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Armed Forces are all in the Toronto area.

Halton has nine ongoing outbreaks, including Burlington’s Martha’s Landing and Joseph Brant Hospital.

The new numbers released Friday by Halton also show for the first time that more than half of those infected in Burlington have recovered. Of Burlington’s 81 confirmed cases, 43 are now resolved. There are also 12 probable cases.

Across Halton, there are 466 confirmed and probable cases, which is 19 more than Thursday.

Hamilton has 10 new cases of COVID-19 bringing the total to 364, plus five more probable cases. Half have now recovered.

There have been 49 people hospitalized in Hamilton and 17 have died.

Provincewide, there are 13,519 confirmed cases, including 174 in Haldimand and Norfolk. There have been 763 deaths in Ontario, including 31 in Haldimand and Norfolk.