September Covid Updates

55 Plus Club Update September 30, 2020

Good Afternoon,

I hope this update finds everyone well. We have been doing well, but I have found this a busy time and quite frustrating not being able to see everyone. I have been keeping up with phone calls and updates by email.

We finally met as an executive last week. It was great to see everyone and be able to resolve and discuss many issues.

First, I would like to address some of the ambivalence around the new covid rules. The numbers for social gatherings have been reduced to ten inside and 25 outside. This does not impact restaurants, gyms, community centers or arenas. It is meant to address the issues with home gatherings and parties.

At our executive meeting, we addressed many issues,

1. Our monthly luncheons have been suspended for the foreseeable future. We will update the group as things evolve.

2. Our membership fees and renewals for the current year which ends on August 31, 2021, have been suspended as well. Any new members as of September 1, 2020, will have to pay the twenty dollar start-up fee which includes the name pin.

3. We will offer activities online and in person at the Russell Arena.

4. Mary will provide monthly activities and events updates, if people have any news, events, or activities please provide them to Mary.

5. We are preparing to have a store with available mugs, hats, and sweatshirts. This will be available by calling or online.

6. Over the next few days we will be creating a questionnaire for our membership to complete. Our callers will be contacting the membership to record the answers to the various questions.

Our zone, which includes Winchester, and South Mountain, will suspend its meetings and operations until the new year at which time we will decide the next steps.

The United Seniors of Ontario has provided little guidance and no information to the various groups. They are not returning calls nor providing support to any of our groups. We have decided to investigate the possibility of running our group independent of the bigger organization and or joining another organization that can provide more support. With this thought in mind, we have reduced the monies being sent to the main organization to save money to support causes and individuals within our own group.

The federal government has still not sent the dates money will be available for persons with disabilities. At this time, they are saying early October.

Again if there are any concerns or questions you can reach me at 705 770 3015 or by email.

Please lookout for the second email with the questionnaire, and please respond to the individuals who call you so we can get an accurate sense of what people are thinking.

Update Seniors Benefits

Good day everyone,

This has been a difficult time for everyone, and I am looking forward to things getting back to normal. This week saw hundreds of people being able to be out and about in crowds, which leads me to believe that in the next few days things will be returning to normal.

Most important to please remember we now have a website and it continues to grow. All our updates are available there as well as links to groups. If you require information, we have a contact and comment section. Check us out!!!!!!

As well I will be closing the Facebook page, as we have very few members, and now that we have a website, our information will be best displayed there.

The government has announced the beginning of stage two for most of the province. This includes our province for sure.

The following are the list of openings on Friday:

· Outdoor dine-in services at restaurants, bars and other establishments, including patios, curbside, parking lots and adjacent properties;

· Select personal and personal care services with the proper health and safety measures in place, including tattoo parlours, barber shops, hair salons and beauty salons;

· Shopping malls under existing restrictions, including food services reopening for take-out and outdoor dining only

· Tour and guide services, such as bike and walking, bus and boat tours, as well as tasting and tours for wineries, breweries and distilleries;

· Water recreational facilities such as outdoor splash pads and wading pools, and all swimming pools;

· Beach access and additional camping at Ontario Parks;

· Camping at private campgrounds;

· Outdoor-only recreational facilities and training for outdoor team sports, with limits to enable physical distancing;

· Drive-in and drive-through venues for theatres, concerts, animal attractions and cultural appreciation, such as art installations;

· Film and television production activities, with limits to enable physical distancing

· Weddings and funerals, with limits on social gatherings to 10 people.

· The Federal Government has announced that the Seniors benefit payments will begin the week of July 6, 2020. Seniors eligible for the OAS pension will receive a payment of $300, and those also eligible for the GIS will receive an additional $200, for a total of $500. Allowance recipients will also receive $500. This $2.5 billion in financial support will help Canadian seniors cover increased costs caused by COVID-19, and give them greater financial security in this time of crisis.

We will be making some decisions about small group activities in the coming days, possible for groups of 10 for hikes, bird watching and biking and sit and chats at various parks. Would be nice to meet at the locks and have a hike and a picnic with groups of 10. If anyone has any ideas, please feel free to share them.

A reminder that the stores in our town have the same rules in place, and people should be practising social distancing when possible.

I for one am ready to meet a few people and get back to normal……………or as normal as possible, I miss you all!

A reminder if you need a mask or are willing to sew a mask for our group please reach out to me.

Elisabeth

So we begin anew May 6 2020

Today the government of Ontario announced

The public will be allowed to shop in these stores as long as physical distancing, contact-less payment and sanitization measures are in place, Ford said at his daily briefing Wednesday.

Select retailers can reopen according to this schedule:

• Friday: Nurseries and garden centres 

• Saturday: Hardware stores and safety supply stores

• Monday: Retail stores with street entrances will be permitted to reopen for curbside pickup.

Emergency orders have been extended to May 19, 2020.

This is exciting news, and hopefully more things will slowly begin to open up. Again there will be rules and protocols at each of the stores.