April 19, 2021

April 19th is the 109th day of 2021. There are 256 days remaining until the end of the year.

Ontario has lowered the minimum age for the AstraZeneca vaccination shot to 40 from 55 starting tomorrow.

Health Minister Christine Elliott says the shot will be offered at pharmacies and “primary care settings.”

The AstraZeneca shot is currently only offered to those aged 55 and older in Ontario.

On Friday, Premier Doug Ford extended the Stay At Home order province-wide an additional 2 weeks, for a total of six weeks.

Outdoor gatherings are restricted to those in the same home. Non-essential construction has been halted. Outdoor recreational amenities were closed; basketball courts, soccer fields, parks and golf courses were closed. Although on Saturday Ford tweeted that parks would remain open.

Ontario’s enhanced restrictions were always intended to stop large gatherings where spread can happen.

Our regulations will be amended to allow playgrounds but gatherings outside will still be enforced. Play outside safely. Parents keep your distance & wear masks if you can’t.

— Doug Ford (@fordnation) April 17, 2021

It’s uncertain if the rules will also be relaxed on golf courses and other outdoor recreational facilities which were shuttered by Friday’s enhanced stay-at-home announcement

Friday’s announcement also allowed the police powers to enforce the Stay At Home order. Over the weekend the Ford government walked back sweeping new police powers. Now, police or by-law officers can ask anyone for their information if they have reason to suspect you are participating in an organized public event or social gathering.

There were 4,250 positive cases reported Sunday in Ontario. 73% of the new cases are in Toronto, Peel, York, Durham and Ottawa.

On Friday afternoon, Chatham-Kent Public Health reported 41 active cases.

There’s a blood donor clinic tomorrow in Wallaceburg at the UAW Hall (88 Elm Dr.) from 2-7.

Donations are by appointment only. Book yours now at Blood.ca, use the Give Blood app or call 1-888-2-DONATE. No walk-in appointments are available.

Clinics will remain open throughout the pandemic. Leaving home to give blood is allowed even during a lockdown.

Your donation matters, book now and save a life.

Chuck Geschke has died at the age of 81.

Chuck is the man who developed the PDF, or Portable Document Format. He’s one of the co-founder of the major software company Adobe Inc.

In 1992, Geschke survived a kidnapping. Arriving to work one morning, two men seized him at gunpoint and took him to Hollister, California, where he was held for four days. A suspect caught with $650,000 in ransom money eventually led police to the hideout where he was held captive.

We’re deeply saddened to share that our beloved co-founder, Dr. Chuck Geschke, has passed away. Chuck was a hero and guiding light for so many of us in the technology industry. He leaves an indelible mark on our company and the world. https://t.co/NYoZI29num pic.twitter.com/FhNY8iN7Dx

— Adobe (@Adobe) April 17, 2021

Categorised in: 5 Things You Need To Know

This post was written by Chris McLeod