Military isn't heading to Anson Place in Hagersville to deal with COVID-19

The province is sending the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) to five long-term care homes struggling with COVID-19, but Anson Place in Hagersville isn't one of them.

Premier Doug Ford's office said Friday morning that military personnel will help care and feed residents at five GTA homes Orchard Villa inPickering, Altamont Care Community inScarborough, EatonvilleinEtobicoke, Hawthorne Place inNorth York and Holland Christian Homes' Grace Manorin Brampton.

All have now seen more COVID-19 deaths than Anson Place, where 27 residents, or more than a quarter of the 101 residing there, have died from the virus. In total, 71 residents and 30 staff tested positive for COVID-19.

"As conditions at long-term care homes across the province continue to be monitored and tracked daily, CAF support may be redeployed to other sites, as required," Ford's office said in an email.

"Our toppriority is ensuring the staff at these long-term care homes can focus on providing care and have the resources they need to combat the spread of this virus."

Lisa Roth, Anson Place executive director, said Thursday evening that there were no new deaths yesterday. Forty-fourresidents still have the virus, including 27 cases in the long-term care centre and 17 in the retirement home.

The care centre has daily calls withthe Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit], the Hamilton Niagara Haldimand BrantLHINand the Ministry of Health to talk about staffing levels, she said. The home has enough staff for the retirement residence but not the long-term care home.

"To date, we havenot been able to access staffing support for our long-term care centre from the LHIN," she wrote,but eight people from the LHIN are arriving today.

Measures include isolating residents, serving meals directly in their rooms and screening twice a day for COVID-19 symptoms. Staff wear personal protective equipment.

Roth said the community is supportive.

"I'm thinking of each and every one from the families of residents to owners of businesses who have from the beginning provided support, words of encouragement, and acts of kindness," she wrote.

Overall, Haldimand and Norfolk counties have 174 confirmed cases, or one for every 626 people. Of those, 32 people have recovered and 31 have died.