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Residents across the province are gearing up to welcome friends, and family into their homes over the Christmas holiday.
Due to recently announced safety measures by the provincial government last week, households are only allowed up to a maximum of 10 people in their homes as of Sunday.
In a media briefing on Tuesday, Dr. Kit Young Hoon, Medical Officer of Health for the Northwestern Health Unit responded to a question about residents disregarding safety measures over the holidays.
“I think people need to think through what sort of risk they’re taking on and the importance of the gathering limits. These gathering limits were announced by the province for good reasons,” said Young Hoon.
In recent weeks COVID-19 cases have skyrocketed across Ontario with the emergence of the Omicron variant. Locally, the health unit is reporting 115 active cases across the region, including 57 in the Kenora Health Hub.
“The virus is highly transmissible, there’s some indication that the severity is similar to Delta [variant] that this could overwhelm our healthcare system,” added Young Hoon.
Young Hoon noted it will need to be a collective effort to reduce the impact of additional cases over the holidays.
“By following the gathering limits you’re protecting yourself, you’re protecting your friends and family, and you’re also protecting the wider community by ensuring that the healthcare system can continue to function through the next wave.”
She concluded by encouraging residents to shift to outdoor gatherings as much as possible.
“In our region, we have a culture of being able to participate in outdoor activities during the winter months.”
Outdoor gathering limits were reduced to 25 people, along with a limit of only 10 people per table applied to restaurants, and meeting or event spaces, and be remained seated.
In addition to the reduced gathering limits, a 50 percent capacity limit was implemented to indoor public settings such as restaurants, bars, gyms, pharmacies, grocery stores, and personal care services.