Halton’s top health official warns against activities that can spread COVID-19

Halton’s medical officer of health is telling residents to curb their behaviour to control the spread of COVID-19.

In a public statement released this morning (Oct. 19), Dr. Hamidah Meghani says people of Halton should limit close contact to those within their household and to limit non-essential activities.

Dr. Meghani acknowledged that without a doubt we are firmly in a second wave of the pandemic and it is the time to take collective action in order to prevent a much worse scenario and stricter measures in the future.

“I know that we have asked a lot of you over the past several months and COVID-19 fatigue is very real,” she said. “We cannot let our guards down.”

Specifically, she said people should minimize interactions with those who don’t live in their own house, including dining at restaurants and other social gatherings.

Further, she stressed people stick to essential activities such as going to school or work and start relying on online delivery services as much as possible.

Health experts are finding that many cases of COVID-19 are linked to private social gatherings and groups activities and she added the risk of transmission is greater in settings where individuals have close contact with one another, often without a mask and for prolonged periods of time.

Dr. Meghani also reiterated measures that municipalities in Halton have already taken as of last week such as limiting all team sports to training only and to not take part in any group indoor fitness classes.

She said if you must dine out, do so only with members of your household.

At this point, these measures are only recommendations and not orders that will be enforced, however, she strongly suggests that residents take these steps.

“I understand that these may take time to adopt and may not happen overnight,” Dr. Meghani said. “It is my hope that everyone follows these recommendations to the extent possible to protect one another and stop cases from rising in our community.”