FORT WILLIAM — Fort William Chief Peter Collins recently called for a travel moratorium into northwestern Ontario due to the second wave of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
“If you look at the cases yesterday (Oct. 8), it was a record-setting day for Ontario (with) 797 confirmed cases,” Chief Collins says during an Oct. 9 Facebook Live video presentation. “The hotspot in Ontario right now is the Toronto region. We’re asking that the province put a moratorium on travel from Toronto into Thunder Bay and into our region — Fort William is only a couple of minutes away from the (Thunder Bay International) Airport and the infection can migrate its way into our community.”
Chief Collins says the Facebook Live video was posted to keep citizens aware about what is going on with COVID-19 in northwestern Ontario.
“With the hotspot being close to the Pearson Airport, we’re trying to work with the province to prevent that spread into our region,” Chief Collins says in an Oct. 13 phone interview. “What we’re worried about is folks migrating their way from Toronto into Thunder Bay. They’re only a couple of minutes from our front step, and that is very concerning for the community of Fort William as we continue to try to keep our folks safe.”