It's been six months since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared.
In Northeastern Ontario, the first confirmed case arrived the day before the official declaration.
Here's a look at what's happened in Timmins and across the region since March.
March 10
Sudbury's Stewart Hamilton was announced as the first confirmed COVID-19 case in Northern Ontario. In early March, Stewart had attended the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada in Toronto, where it's believed he was infected with the virus. The massive mining conference was attended by hundreds of people from across Northern Ontario.
March 11
• COVID-19 is declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization.
• Ontario's first death attributed to COVID-19 is reported. It was a Barrie man who had been in close contact with another positive case.
March 17
A state of emergency is declared in Ontario.
March 18
• The Porcupine Health Unit announced plans for a COVID-19 assessment centre. It opened the next day.
• Algoma Public Health reported its first confirmed case, a woman in her 50s.
• Non-essential travel across the Canada-U.S. border was restricted. Cross-border travel restrictions remain in place today.
March 20
The Porcupine Health Unit reported its first case — a Timmins man in his 50s with links to international travel.
March 23
Non-essential businesses are ordered to close for 14 days. These emergency orders were adjusted frequently.
March 24
Timiskaming Health Unit reports its first confirmed case — a man in his 30s who was in contact with a confirmed case outside the district. He was tested March 18.
March 26
A woman in her 60s with links to international travel is the first confirmed case for the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit.
March 31
• It was announced a Timmins lab started processing COVID-19 tests for the region.
• In March, 36 cases were reported in Northern Ontario.*
April 2
The first death related to COVID-19 in Northern Ontario was reported by Public Health Sudbury and Districts. It was a man in his 70s from Greater Sudbury. The next day, the Porcupine Health Unit reported two virus-related deaths — a Timmins woman in her 60s who was admitted to Timmins and District Hospital, and a woman in her 50s who was admitted to Lady Minto Hospital in Cochrane.
April 3
State of Emergency declared in Timmins.
April 5
A new measure to enforce public health rules had bylaw officers monitor Timmins grocery stores.
April 6
State of Emergency declared in Sudbury.
April 30
April had the highest case count for northeastern Ontario health units, with 123 cases being reported. The top health units were Sudbury with 44 cases, and the Porcupine Health Unit with 42. It put the case count for the region at 159.*
May 4
Some seasonal businesses and essential construction projects were allowed to open with strict guidelines. The next week, more businesses were allowed to reopen for curbside pickup and delivery.
May 31
The number of confirmed cases dropped, with 32 being reported in northeastern Ontario. It put the overall count in the region at 191.*
June 12
Northern Ontario regions moved into the second phase of reopening Ontario. Places of worship were allowed to open with attendance limited to 30 per cent of the building capacity. Patios, hairsalons, malls, additional camping, and more were also allowed to reopen, along with childcare operators, following strict protocols. The limit on social gatherings across the province is increasing from five to 10 people.
June 30
The number of cases reported by local health units drops to 13 for the month, putting the overall case count for northeastern Ontario at 204.*
July 8
Public Health Sudbury and District's mandatory mask or face covering mandate for indoor public spaces went into effect. Health units in communities in all of Northern Ontario quickly followed suit and the mandate is now across the region.
July 17
Ontario entered stage three of reopening. The limit for indoor gatherings increased to a maximum of 50 people, and outdoor gatherings to maximum of 100 people. Physical distancing is required for both. The limit of 10 people for a social circle remained the same. Dine-in restaurants, bars, gyms, most personal care services, recreational facilities, team sports, and tour and guide services were among the businesses allowed to open.
July 31
There were 36 new cases reported, with most of them being out of the Sudbury area where 22 cases were confirmed. It put the overall tally for the region at 240.*
Aug. 19
Timmins state of emergency lifted.
August 31
With nine new cases reported, it's the slowest month so far for new COVID-19 cases. At month's end, 249 cases had been reported in northeastern Ontario.*
Sept. 3
As students prepared to head back to school, the union warned parents to have a contingency plan in case buses don't run.
* The numbers for the northeastern Ontario's monthly numbers are from the Ontario database. The test reported dates in the database may differ from when the information was reported by individual health units. The number of cases reported by the North Bay Parry Sound District and the cases reported by Public Health Ontario also do not match. The health unit has confirmed 38 cases, while the province is reporting 36 cases.
