As the Canadian flag flies on half-mast outside Thorold city hall to honour the 373 Niagara residents who have passed away after testing positive for the virus, Mayor Terry Ugulini looks back at a year of unprecedented challenges for the town.
It was on March 13, 2020 that the first patient tested positive for COVID-19 in Niagara, at a time when the new virus that had come out of the Chinese province of Wuhan still prompted safety measures like hazmat suits and entire isolation wards, in the face of the unknowns around the new disease.
When it became evident that cases kept rising locally after the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a pandemic, Ugulini and the rest of Niagara's mayors declared a state of emergency in the region as businesses and institutions shut down to mitigate the spread.
"My first thoughts go to the Niagara residents who have passed away, and those who have lost loved ones and family members," said Ugulini to Thoroldnews.com after he, together with Thorold CAO Manoj Dilwaria, saw the flags outside city hall slide down the pole on Friday.
"It is an undertaking to find a way to honour them and send condolences to families and friends."
In total, 8,865 Niagara residents have testes positive for COVID-19 in the last year.
The number has fluctuated greatly as different measures such as lockdowns and mask requirements have been implemented, but began rising in March due to spread of the more contagious variants of concern.
Ugulini said the citys primary concern throughout the pandemic was to ensure the health of residents by closely following the recommendations from health officials.
"That is why we were one of the first cities to close our facilities as well as city hall," said Ugulini.
"But this date is low-key, and we have to continue to stay the course, because the pandemic isn't over and we need to continue to follow public health advice."
However, said Ugulini, there is optimism on the horizon as vaccines are increasing in availability, and will soon reach the first group of residents 80 and over, as the first group in the general population to receive the shot.
Thorold residents are right now looking at venturing to Brock University for the shot, which is a shared location with St Catharines.
The location of the upcoming clinic raised some local concerns, as some councillors questioned why the Thorold Community Arena would not be used for the mass vaccinations.
Ugulini said he spoke directly with the region's medical officer of health about the placement.
"Ultimately, it was a decision made by them, based on a lot of factors, everything from parking availability to backup generators and cooling capacity for the vaccine vials. I am going to try and work with that location to fulfil the objectives we need for the city."
Niagara Public Health reported 27 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday.
