April 22, 2020

April 22nd is the 113th day of the year. There are 253 days remaining until the end of the year.

The PPE Drive Drop Off is open again today.

The Municipality of Chatham-Kent is gathering personal protective equipment (PPE) for front line health care workers.

Thames Campus Arena is open for the public to leave their donations of medical masks, gloves, face shields, goggles, and medical gowns.

The drop off station will open from 10-2:30 Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. Donors can bring their donations inside the main front doors of the arena, place them on the table in the ticket area and exit the building for social distancing. Donations must be dropped inside the building.

Another free coffee day for truckers at Onroutes along the 401 and 400.

All 23 ONroute locations on will be providing free coffee for truckers all day, as a thank you for maintaining the provincial and national supply chain during the COVID-19 crisis. The free coffee for truckers will be offered every Wednesday until May 13th.

Truckers will be asked to provide proof of trucking licence or association membership if available.

ONroute service centres continue to operate as an essential service during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing 24/7 access to fuel, washrooms, food, and truck parking.

The latest Covid related cancellations:

• This summer’s large fishing tournament at Mitchell’s Bay has been cancelled. Organizers will turn their focus on putting together the 7th Annual Canadian Tire Mitchell’s Bay Open in 2021.
• Air Canada is temporarily suspending service to the United States. All flights to the U.S. will be grounded on Sunday evening. Flights to the U.S. are tentatively scheduled to resume on May 22.
• Germany has canceled Oktoberfest for the first time since World War Two. The head of the local government said it would just be too dangerous, “as long as there is no vaccine.” Over six million people were planning to come to Munich to drink beer.
• The National Spelling Bee has been canceled for the first time since 1945.The ‘Bee will return next year.
• Spain’s annual Running of the Bulls has been postponed. Pamplona city hall announced Tuesday that the nine-day San Fermin festival held in July won’t take place this year.

For a full list of local cancellations, go here.

The Lyrid meteor shower peaked overnight.

The April Lyrids are one of the oldest meteor showers recorded. Chinese historical records note that in the fourth month of 687 BC, “stars fell like rain”.

2020 is an ideal year for the Lyrids. The best view is in Europe and the Middle East.

The Lyrids appear each year from about April 16th to 25th.

Today is Earth Day. First recognized in 1970, this is the 50th anniversary.

The theme for Earth Day 2020 is climate action. Action on climate change is the issue as the most pressing topic for the 50th anniversary. Climate change represents the biggest challenge to the future of humanity and the life-support systems that make our world habitable.

Earth Day has gone digital for 2020 in light of the pandemic. Go to EarthDay.org for livestreamed discussions, a global digital surge, and 24 hours of actions that you can take, right now and from wherever you are.

Categorised in: 5 Things You Need To Know

This post was written by Chris McLeod