MIDDLESEX CENTRE, ONT. -- Just one new COVID-19 case was reported in Middlesex-London on Thursday, bringing the region’s total to 641.
There was no change in recoveries, which stand at 570, or in deaths, which has held at 57 since early June.
That leaves 14 active cases in the region.
The vast majority of the cases, 591 have been in the City of London, with 23 in Strathroy-Caradoc and 12 in Middlesex Centre, and the rest scattered in the region.
More than 32,000 people have been tested at the city’s two assessment centres since they opened over three months ago, and visits appear to steady.
The region enters Stage 3 of reopening on Friday, which will see most businesses open their doors to the public again.
Then on Monday, masks become mandatory in transit buses, taxis and ride share vehicles, and in high-risk personal service businesses.
City and health officials will also meet Monday to discuss whether masks should be mandatory in all indoor public and commercial spaces.
Here is how the totals stand as most recently reported by other local public health authorities:
- Huron-Perth: One active, 59 cases, 53 resolved, five deaths (one new case)
- Elgin-Oxford: Two active, 87 cases, 80 resolved, five deaths
- Grey-Bruce: One active, 115 cases, 108 resolved, six referred, no deaths
- Sarnia-Lambton: Two active, 287 cases, 260 resolved, 25 deaths
When Stage 3 of reopening begins on Friday, residents in Huron-Perth and Grey-Bruce will be required to wear masks in the vast majority of indoor commercial and public spaces. There is no similar requirement in Elgin-Oxford.
Lambton County is among the few regions in Ontario not moving to Stage 3 on Friday.
And while Lambton Public Health officials recommend the use of masks, they have said at this time that “evidence and local context does not support the mandatory public use of masks in a community setting.”
Province-wide, there was a small increase in novel coronavirus cases, with 111 new cases. There were also five new deaths.
