Curfew an option to battle COVID-19, Timmins mayor say

The mayor of the City of Timmins says a state of emergency has been imposed in the city.

That will allow volunteers to receive WSIB coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic.

GeorgePirieadds that a curfew is also under discussion.

The measure may be needed to further crack down on those violating physical distancing,as Pirie says there are some groups who aren't taking the pandemic situation seriously.

"From an enforcement point of view, the other thing that we're considering and we're not putting it in place today,but we'll be consideringinstalling a curfew," hesaid.

"There's a lot of moving parts around that, we don't have all the answers, but yes we'll protect our population wherever possible, and a curfew is one of those areas that we're talking about."

Pirie says Timmins City Hall is predicting the worst day with the most people sick to be May 1. But adds those are not public health numbers.

According to the city, that number comes from a report prepared by local resident George Hughes. He isa trained geneticist and industrial scientist with extensive experience in modeling and statistics, and former Source Protection Chair for the Mattagami Region.