Two public health units reintroduced the restrictions on Friday as Ontario reported its highest daily COVID-19 case count since early September.
Public Health Sudbury and Districts restored a work-from-home order and officials in the Kingston area limited indoor gatherings in homes to 10 people.
The news came after Health Minister Christine Elliott announced that Ontario would record 927 new COVID-19 cases and five additional deaths.
This is only the second time since May 31 that the daily case count has surpassed 900. On that day, there were 916 new cases and on September 4, 944.
Read more:
Ontario Reports 927 New COVID-19 Cases, 6 More Deaths
The new seven-day average for diagnoses stood at 711 on Friday, the highest since Sept. 20.
The government has urged a regional approach to reintroduce public health measures as the fourth wave of COVID-19 rises once again, and officials say they don’t want the province as a whole to back down.
Sudbury-area public health officials opted to take further action on Friday after discovering that infection rates remained “unacceptably high” despite previous actions.
The public health unit began to reverse its reopening in early November, reintroducing capacity limits, requiring masking at organized public events and requiring proof of vaccination for youth sports.
Now, starting Monday, everyone in the area who can work from home must do so.
Read more:
Ontario’s best doctor “ doesn’t anticipate ” 5-11 year-olds being included in the vax testing system
“Cases continue to be reported among young adults, social settings, and workplaces,” said Dr. Penny Sutcliffe, the region’s medical health officer. “It is difficult to find an environment that is not affected. With the widespread circulation of the virus in our community, our response must also be widespread. “
Meanwhile, the public health unit for the Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington regions said its new measures were based on a disproportionate number of cases spreading from home.
“COVID-19 cases in the KFL & A region are on the rise and we know that nearly half of our cases are acquired at home,” said Dr. Piotr Oglaza, the regions’ medical health officer. “Reducing indoor collection limits in private homes is prudent and necessary to prevent illness and the spread of COVID-19.”
Earlier in the week, the Timiskaming Health Unit announced that it would also re-introduce some restrictions.
“We are currently seeing a high level of COVID-19 spread in every part of our district,” said Dr. Glenn Corneil, the unit’s medical health officer.
All close contacts of people with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 are now required to self-isolate, reset capacity limits in restaurants, gyms, and other indoor settings where they have been lifted, and show proof of vaccination to participate or view. indoor sports. installations.
On Thursday, the province’s top doctor said he expects COVID-19 cases to continue to rise across the province as cold weather sets in.
“Unfortunately, all models would predict that this would slowly and steadily increase and increase over the next several months, including January and February,” said Dr. Kieran Moore.
Hospital occupancy due to COVID-19 is also increasing, with 140 people in intensive care due to the virus as of Friday, including 86 people on ventilators.
The province said 140 people were in intensive care with critical illness related to COVID, including 86 people on ventilators.
There were six people from Saskatchewan in Ontario hospitals as of Thursday, four of them in intensive care.
Of the new cases on Friday, Elliott said 494 were in people who were not fully vaccinated and 55 were in people with unknown vaccination status.
The province said 86 percent of people 12 and older have received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and that vaccinations for children ages five to 11 continued to rise on Friday.
© 2021 The Canadian Press
Reference-globalnews.ca