153,500 Ontarians out of work during lockdown

There were only two new COVID-19 cases registered in Lambton Friday.

Lambton Public Health statistics show one of those cases was in long term care with another staff member at Village on the St. Clair tested positive for the virus. Twenty-eight residents and 15 staff tested positive – four have died during an outbreak which started Dec. 30.

Four outbreaks remain in long term care, including one at Lambton Meadowview Villa where only one staff member tested positive.

In all, there are now 1,854 cases of COVID-19 recorded in Lambton since March. Forty-nine people are ill right now with eight people in hospital. Bluewater Health is also dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak where four patients and six staff members tested positive.

Ontario is reporting 1,670 new cases today and 45 deaths. Fourteen of those were in long term care where a total of 3,697 people have died since the pandemic began.

Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. David Williams, says the lockdown has helped bring the virus under control. However unemployment statistics released Friday morning show there has been a cost.

Canada is reporting 213,000 more people were on the unemployment roles in January. Most of those people were from Ontario and Quebec where the province’s are in lockdown.

Ontario’s jobless rate is now 10.2 percent, that’s up from 9.2 per cent in December.

Finance Minister Vic Fedeli said in a news release there were 153,500 more people in this province unemployed in January.

“The government imposed a provincial Stay-at-Home order in January to stop the spread of COVID-19 and help keep people safe. However, there is no denying that the impacts are being felt throughout the economy,” Fedeli said in a news release. “We know that many Ontarians continue to struggle during this challenging time.”