<\/p>\n \u00a0A group of\u00a0residents is\u00a0asking Hamilton city council to temporarily close James Street North so people have more space to walk during the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n A letter to city council says this would be a pilot project for other Hamilton street closures during the pandemic. Closing the streets to vehicles would mean more physical distance between pedestrians and cyclists, it says, and other cities have taken similar measures.<\/p>\n “We believe that this will benefit the community’s mental health in regards to balancing the stresses associated with maintaining physical distance while trying to avoid vehicle traffic,” says the letter, signed by 240 people, which city council will discuss Wednesday.<\/p>\n Not everybody thinks it’s a good idea. Roberta Trunfio\u00a0says the province extended emergency closures until mid-May, which is different from\u00a0a four-day Supercrawl closure. Barricades would also\u00a0interfere with emergency vehicles, she says.<\/p>\n As for physical distancing, Trunfio says people can\u00a0use side streets.<\/p>\n “They most likely can walk the side streets without really coming into contact with anyone,” she said in a letter to council. “Why is the solution they are putting forward to close down a major street?”<\/p>\n Overall, Hamilton has 355 COVID-19 cases today, including 348 confirmed and seven probable. Sixteen people have died and 153 have recovered.<\/p>\n That’s up from 331 COVID-19 cases and 143 recoveries Monday. The number of people in hospital is steady at 19.\u00a0<\/p>\n Provincially, numbers are increasing<\/a>. CBC News has collected data showing 675 deaths in Ontario, although the province reports 622.\u00a0<\/p>\n COVID-19 cases in Ontario have reached 11,735, with\u00a0551\u00a0new cases announced Tuesday.<\/p>\n The Brant County Health Unit, which includes Brantford, has\u00a078 confirmed cases, up three from\u00a0Monday. Fifty people\u00a0have recovered, three have been\u00a0hospitalized and three have died.<\/p>\n Brant County issued a statement today thanking people for donating personal protective equipment.\u00a0<\/p>\n “The community has been beyond generous to us,” said Russell King, paramedic services chief.<\/p>\n “When we asked for help, over 40 people and businesses responded. We received much-needed masks, gloves and gowns. In addition, restaurants stopped by and brought us meals.”<\/p>\n The Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit is reporting 166 cases, including 28 deaths. That’s up from 163 confirmed and 26 deaths Monday.<\/p>\n Most of those deaths are at Anson Place Care Centre in Hagersville.\u00a0Recent health units stats show cases are spread across Haldimand and Norfolk counties, but most are in Hagersville and Simcoe.\u00a0<\/p>\n Dr. Shanker Nesathurai, medical officer of health for the Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit, has warned that Anson Place Care Centre <\/a>could see more deaths this week.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the Services Employees International Union (SEIU) has\u00a0asked the province<\/a>\u00a0to take over operations of Anson Place, as well as\u00a0Eatonville Care Centre in Etobicoke\u00a0and\u00a0Hawthorne Place Care Centre in Toronto.\u00a0Rykka Care Centres, an operating partner of\u00a0Responsive Group, owns all three homes.<\/p>\n The three centres and both companies are named in a court injunction filed by the Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA).<\/p>\n Halton has 443 cases, five more than Monday. Of those, 386 are confirmed and 57 are probable. Sixteen people have died.<\/p>\n There are 76 confirmed and 10 probable cases in\u00a0Burlington, the same as Monday.\u00a0The health unit has declared a new outbreak at Martha’s Landing in Burlington.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/1.5540082.1587497960!\/fileImage\/httpImage\/image.jpg_gen\/derivatives\/16x9_780\/james-north.jpg\")
<\/img><\/p>\n<\/div>Brant<\/h2>\n
Haldimand-Norfolk<\/h2>\n
Halton<\/h2>\n