CORNWALL, Ontario – On Friday, Oct. 9 the Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU) confirmed that it would not seek to revert the region back to Stage Two of the provincial COVID-19 re-opening plan just yet.
The confirmation came after the province announced that Ottawa, Peel, and Toronto would all be set back to Stage Two from Stage Three after a spike in COVID-19 cases in those areas.
“We’re keeping a close eye on local spread of COVID-19, but at this time we feel that business closures aren’t necessary in the EOHU region,” said Dr. Paul Roumeliotis, Medical Officer of Health with the EOHU. “That said, in order to help keep our local businesses running, we need everyone to continue following public health measures to prevent the spread of the virus.”
Dr. Roumeliotis’ reasoning is that all local cases so far have not been connected to those regions, but have instead been related to outbreak clusters that resulted from large social gatherings.
The EOHU is asking the public to follow guidelines to help stop the spread of the virus:
- As much as possible, limit your close contacts to people living in your own household, including over the Thanksgiving weekend.
- Limit trips outside of your home, except for essential purposes only such as work where it is not possible to work from home, school, grocery shopping, medical appointments, and outdoor healthy physical activity. In addition, travel to other regions in the province, especially from higher transmission to lower transmission areas, should only be for essential purposes.
- Practise physical distancing of at least two metres with those outside your household.
- Wear a face covering when physical distancing is a challenge or where it is mandatory to do so.
- Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly.
- Follow gathering limits and rules.
- Stay home if you are sick.
For more information about how to protect yourself and your loved ones from COVID-19, check out the EOHU’s website at www.EOHU.ca/coronavirus.
