Huron Perth Public Health is asking residents to stay vigilant in the fight against COVID-19.
While the province is allowing outdoor group gatherings of up to 100 people in the two counties, Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Miriam Klassen, says it’s important to consider what you can do to reduce the risk of contracting the novel coronavirus.
“We appreciate that the Stage 3 re-openings and my Instructions to operators regarding face coverings created a fair bit of change for all of us to adjust to.”
The reminder follows a recent spike in COVID-19 cases in Ontario, with a 50 per cent jump on July 21st (203 cases), and an 89 per cent rise on July 24th (195 cases).
Huron Perth Public Health is reminding residents of several measures to be taken during the COVID-19 pandemic:
– People who feel ill should stay home.
– Hand hygiene is important. Have adequate handwashing facilities or sanitizer available.
– People in a social circle should keep their distance from those not in their social circle. How can you help people maintain physical distancing? Remember that some activities are higher-risk for COVID transmission, such as singing.
– Wear a cloth mask if you are not able to physically distance. This is an added layer of protection, so if you have addressed the fundamental measures of asking people to stay home if ill, ensuring hand hygiene and distance then also think about where face coverings might be helpful.
“Recently, when we’ve been conducting contact tracing, whether for cases here or connected to cases from neighbouring health units, we are starting to see that people are naming more contacts,” says Dr. Klassen.
“This tells us that people are expanding their interactions with others and this is where we must remain vigilant in using the public health measures I’ve described.”