Local Health Officials Putting In Place Restrictions To Curb The Spread Of COVID-19

Hello time traveller!!
This article is 1087 days old.
The information listed below is likely outdated and has been preserved for archival purposes.

With cases of COVID-19 climbing steadily in the past month, local health officials have announced new restrictions to curb the spread of the virus.

An updated Letter of Instruction from the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit addresses the key settings associated with COVID-19 transmission identified through ongoing case investigations, which have identified social gatherings as an area of significant concern.

In particular, the revised Letter of Instruction contains the following additional measures:

• Social gatherings are limited to 10 people indoors and 25 outdoors
• Added measures for wedding receptions and the social events tied to funerals and religious services
• Limiting indoor capacity for bars and restaurants to 50% of their total occupancy
• Strict adherence to face-covering requirements in all public settings

“We are very worried that we are already seeing this surge of cases in advance of the holiday season and its associated social gatherings. Immediate action needs to be taken by all residents to address the known sources of transmission, which are social gatherings, both in homes and in the community,” said WECHU Medical Officer of Health Dr. Shanker Nesathurai.

The announcement in Windsor-Essex comes on the heels of recent restrictions implemented in other Ontario health regions with increasing case counts.

“With the recent surge in cases, we need to act quickly to contain the spread and preserve our public health system capacity so that we can continue to drive our resources toward the critically important vaccination effort. These additional measures are necessary to slow the spread of COVID-19 in our community. We will continue to review regularly and adjust based on our local data”, said health unit Chief Executive Officer Nicole Dupuis.

The WECHU has posted the Letter of Instruction which comes into effect at 12:01am on Friday, December 10^th on their website found here.