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The Essex County Health Unit announced Sunday that it will re-establish capacity restrictions and other strict COVID-19 rules as the region struggles with another spike in cases.
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The restrictions will go into effect at 12:01 am on Friday.
The local health medical official said that without the restrictions, he fears that COVID-19 case levels could return to the high numbers seen at the same time last year.
“We are very concerned that we are already seeing this increase in cases before the holiday season and its associated social gatherings,” said Dr. Shanker Nesathurai. “All residents must take immediate action to address known sources of transmission, which are social gatherings, both at home and in the community.”
Following a steady increase in cases over the past month, the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit has issued an updated instruction letter outlining restrictions on “key settings associated with COVID-19 transmission.”
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Infections in social gatherings have been identified as “an area of great concern.”
The measures that go into effect on Friday include a limit of 10 people in indoor socials and 25 people outdoors. Bars and restaurants will be limited to 50 percent of their full capacity.
Measures will also be added for wedding receptions and social events tied to funerals and religious services, along with “strict adherence to facial coverage requirements in all public settings.”
The local announcement follows recently implemented restrictions in other regions of Ontario with a growing number of cases, the health unit said.
“With the recent increase in cases, we must act quickly to contain the spread and preserve the capacity of our public health system so that we can continue to direct our resources toward the critically important vaccination effort,” said the executive director of the health unit. health Nicole Dupuis. “These additional measures are necessary to slow the spread of COVID-19 in our community. We will continue to review and adjust periodically based on our local data. “
WECHU has published the letter of instructions in its website along with a frequently asked questions section.
Reference-windsorstar.com