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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2009-11-12, Page 7In the wake of the initial outbreak and the news of Huron County vaccines lasting no more than an hour, municipalities are stepping up precautionary measures throughout their recreational facilities to prevent the spread of H1N1. While every facility is cleaned and sanitized daily, Pat Newson, North Huron’s director of recreation, went to North Huron council and asked that additional resources be given to the recreation department. She said that while the department does its best to clean facilities every day, with more staff and better cleaning products, an effort has been made to improve the municipality’s standards. “We’ve installed more hand sanitizer and we’ve put up a fair amount of signage which was given to us by the Huron County Health Unit,” she said. “We’re increasing our focus on cleaning between uses as well as during use.” “Once a surface is cleaned, it stays clean until someone touches it again,” Newson said. “Now we’re using a cleanser that kills 99.9 per cent of germs if it’s used correctly, so we’ve been working at training our staff correctly on how that product is to be applied.” In addition to the extra staff, Newson says she has been working not only with the health unit, but with the municipality’s janitorial supplier. Since the outbreak of H1N1, North Huron has brought a new product into its recreation centres called Precept. Blyth Community Centre staffer Dave Onn says the product is able to kill 99.9 per cent of germs and has added an additional step of sanitization to the crew’s job description in recent weeks. Onn says the centre is cleaned completely every day and now an additional step including Precept has been added. “It hasn’t been hard,” he said. “It just takes a lot of time. When you’regoing through the arena and looking at every little thing people might get their hands on, you could go crazy thinking about everything people could touch.” Onn says the staff in Blyth has concentrated on high traffic areas, then worked their way down. He starts with door handles, shower handles and toilet handles. He then works his way up to the food booth, benches, change rooms and the scorer’s booth, as well as the office. In recent weeks he says that cleaning has been stepped up with the Blyth Community Centre being cleaned and sanitized completely at least once a day and often more than once a day when it comes to busier days like weekends. “We’re doing the best we can,” he said. “We’re trying to clean as much as possible and as often as we can.” The same can be said for the Brussels, Morris and Grey Community Centre, which hasstepped up its supply of hand sanitizer and has made an effort to clean high traffic areas as much as possible on weekends and busy nights. In addition to measures taken by the staff, hockey teams have also taken matters into their own hands, with many of the Brussels teams insisting that players come to games and practices with their own water bottle. Travelling teams have also been bringing cases of water, as opposed to the traditional plastic water bottles. Hockey associations, however, have been doing their part to ensure germs don’t spread any further than they have to with measures that are to be taken by each team before, after and during a contest on the ice. The Ontario Minor Hockey Association has mandated that gloves be worn during pre-game and post-game handshakes and coaches and bench staff are not to shakehands with the coaches or bench staff of the opposing team. In addition to the rules mandated by the Ontario Minor Hockey Association, Blyth Minor Hockey stipulates that each player, without exception, must have his/her own water bottle in order to step on the ice. All hockey associations agree that if a child is sick that he/she should stay home. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2009. PAGE 7.Municipalities do their part to stop the spread With 9,000 doses of H1N1 vaccine coming through the Huron County Health Unit, it took just one hour of availability to the general public for it to run out. With the priority groups vaccinated, doors opened for the general public to the area’s first H1N1 vaccination clinic at 2 p.m. on Monday and were closed shortly thereafter. Clinics that were to be held on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday were cancelled. Dr. Nancy Cameron, medical officer of health says the health unit does not know when they will receive their next shipment of the vaccine or how much they will receive. “We will reschedule clinics as we learn more from the Ontario Ministry of Health this week,” she said. The initial shipment of vaccine was shipped to the health unit and was subsequently distributed to health unit clinics as well as family physicians and healthcare teams. For more information on Huron County Health Unit H1N1 measures and upcoming vaccination clinics, visit their website at www.huroncounty.ca/healthDo over To stop the risk of spreading H1N1 or the flu municipalities are taking some extra precautions. At the Blyth arena Dave Onn said there is a thorough cleaning done every day with the additional step that includes a strong sanitation agent, Precept. (Shawn Loughlin photo) By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen County runs out of vaccine in an hour BUY? SELL? TRY CLASSIFIED Benjamin James Nethery Congratulations on earning your Ontario Secondary School Diploma. Benjamin is currently enrolled in the Agriculture & Heavy Duty Diesel Equipment Mechanic course at University of Guelph, Kemptville Campus. We are very proud of you! Love your family. Graduation Congratulations on earning First Class Standing in Master of Arts Degree in English from Lakehead University, Thunder Bay. Becky has accepted a position with the Calgary Board of Education. We are very proud of you! Love your family. Becky Jean Nethery Graduation TOWNSHIP OF NORTH HURON BLYTH WARD NOTICE ALL NIGHT STREET PARKING Due to municipal snow removal operations, the parking of cars on Blyth streets and municipal parking lots during the winter months (November 1 to May 1) will be strictly prohibited. All vehicles must be removed from Blyth streets and roadways of the municipality, between the hours of 2:00 am and 7:00 am. Violators will be prosecuted or will be required to bear the cost of having their vehicle towed away. The owner of any such parked vehicle will be liable for any damage to the said vehicle or to snowplow equipment. and Section 181 of the Highway Traffic Act states: “No person shall deposit snow or ice on a roadway without permission in writing so to do from the Ministry or the road authority responsible for the maintenance of the road.” The fine for violation of Section 181 is $110.00. Kriss Snell, Clerk