Halton residents should reconsider plans for Thanksgiving warns Medical Officer of Health

Halton’s Medical Officer of Health says people should reconsider their plans for Thanksgiving if it involves those from outside their household.

Halton’s Medical Officer of Health says people should reconsider their plans for Thanksgiving if it involves those from outside their household.

In an online post today, Dr. Hamidah Meghani said Halton residents should avoid having large family gatherings to stop the spread of COVID-19 and instead plan for virtual visits.

While stopping short of banning gatherings or telling people not to celebrate Thanksgiving in large groups, Dr. Meghani stressed the need for restraint, especially since the trend for the coronavirus is going up. Today 59 cases have been reported in the region.

“Let me be clear, Halton is not far behind other regions in the rest of Ontario that have seen a spike in cases,” she said. “I urge you to reconsider and plan for virtual visits. The actions we take today will have an impact on where we are in the next few weeks.”

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Dr. Meghani acknowledged we are in the second wave of the pandemic and said we should only be maintaining close contact with those within our own household and that non-essential activities be kept to a minimum.

She said following these measures will allow children to continue to go to school, businesses to stay open and ultimately protect those that are most vulnerable to the serious effects of the virus.

“We still have time to reduce the severity of this wave,” she said. “Remember, each and every one of us can make a difference.”