OTTAWA -- Six months since the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in the nation's capital, how do the numbers look? Students start heading back to school after a summer of figuring out plans. And city council meets to discuss COVID, holiday shopping and more.
CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks at five stories to watch this week.
A Labour Day like no other
This Labour Day will be like no other in recent history, with the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to loom large over events large and small.
The Ottawa and District Labour Council is hosting a virtual march and picnic at 11 a.m. on Monday. You can find the livestream at the ODLC's website.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has asked Ontarians to keep Labour Day parties small this year, so that we can limit the spread of COVID-19 with kids going back to school.
Six months of COVID-19
The very first laboratory-confirmed case of COVID-19 was announced in Ottawa on March 11. In the six months since that time, Ottawa saw its pandemic curve rise sharply in April, flatten in May and June, and then slowly start to creep back up in July and August.
In the past week, 127 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Ottawa, along with one new COVID-19 related death. The number of active cases fell from 219 to 187 before climbing back to 211 on Sunday.
Back To School
Students across Ottawa start getting back to class on Tuesday, with boards gradually reintroducing grade cohorts in order to keep numbers low to start the year.
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board says there will be orientation for Grade 9, 10, 11, and 12 students on Tuesday and Wednesday, with Cohort A starting classes on Thursday and Cohort B starting classes on Friday. Elementary students return next week.
In the Ottawa Catholic Board, kindergarten and Grade 1, 2, 3, and 7 students start classes on Tuesday and Grade 4, 5, 6 and 8 return to class on Wednesday. Secondary students return next week.
Students in the Conseil des écoles publiques de l'Est de l'Ontario who did not return to class last week will be back in class either Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on their school schedules.
High school students in the Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est return to class on Tuesday in Ottawa.
City Council
City Council meets on Wednesday and will receive a verbal update on the state of COVID-19 in the city. Some items on the agenda include allowing the Tanger Outlets in Kanata to open on statutory holidays, giving schools the flexibility to locate portables, outdoor classroom spaces, and other school facilities to help deal with COVID-19, and approving slower residential speed limits in parts of Westboro, Old Ottawa South, and Old Ottawa East.
Road tests resume
Ottawa motorists will be given the green light to book a class G road test.
Starting Tuesday, Sept. 8, Ontarians will be able to book class G road tests and access all classes of driver testing services at DriveTest centres across Ontario.
All full-time DriveTest centres will be offering 100 per cent of their services with restrictions removed, such as knowledge tests being accessibly only by birth month.
