Reports

As of June 12, the Province increased the limit on social gatherings from five to 10 people. This means up to 10 people may gather in one place, while ensuring they are physically distancing from those outside their social circle.

People throughout Ontario are being encouraged to establish a social circle of no more than 10 people who can interact and come into close contact with one another without physical distancing.

Ontarians who wish to form a safe social circle should follow these five simple steps:

1. Start with your current circle: the people you live with or who regularly come into your household;
2. If your current circle is under 10 people, you can add members to your circle, including those from another household, family members or friends;
3. Get agreement from everyone that they will join the circle;
4. Keep your social circle safe. Maintain physical distancing with anyone outside of your circle; and
5. Be true to your circle. No one should be part of more than one circle.

The Province has developed a practical step-by-step guide to help Ontarians as they safely develop and join a social circle.

The rules for social circles are different from the proposed expansion of social gatherings from five to 10 people. Social gatherings can be any 10 people from outside your household, but where physical distancing of at least two metres should be maintained. For example, the expansion of social gatherings enables individuals and families to enjoy the company of others at backyard barbeques and picnics in neighbourhood parks, while respecting physical distancing advice.

While physical distancing does not need to be practised between members of the same social circle, other public health advice, including frequent handwashing, should be maintained. Anyone who is ill or feeling sick should immediately limit their contact with anyone in their circle, inform the other members of the circle, self-isolate and seek testing if they have COVID-19 symptoms, by contacting the assessment centre at the Brant Community Healthcare System.

On March 17, Premier Doug Ford declared a state of emergency across the province.

As a result of this declaration and its associated orders, the following establishments are legally required to close immediately:

• All facilities providing indoor recreational programs;
• All public libraries;
• All private schools and defined in the Education Act;
• All licensed child care centres;
• All bars and restaurants, except to the extent that such facilities provide takeout food and delivery;
• All theatres including those offering live performances of music, dance, and other art forms, as well as cinemas that show movies; and
• Concert venues.

On March 23, the province issued an emergency order to close at-risk workplaces and encourage non-essential businesses to find ways to help their employees work from home. The government also reminded businesses to put in place protocols for physical distancing and regular hand-washing in order to protect the health and safety of employees and the general public.

Wash your hands frequently (including before and after handling groceries), avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth, cover coughs or sneezes, clean and disinfect surfaces, and stay home if you are sick.

Currently, there are no reports of COVID-19 transmission through handling groceries or similar items, or foodborne-related illnesses.

The majority of COVID-19 cases have been linked to person-to-person transmission through close direct contact to someone with respiratory symptoms or close contact with a case in the incubation period who was later confirmed to have COVID-19. 

Practice physical distancing, when possible, including while at the grocery store. Limit trips to the grocery store to once per week. This helps limit the number of people in the store and assists with physical distancing.

Consider using a face covering, meaning non-medical mask, such as a cloth mask or bandana, to reduce the risk of transmission.

If you or a loved one think you have COVID-19 symptoms or have been in close contact with someone who has it: 


• Stay at home and avoid close contact with others.

• Contact Telehealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0000.
  

• The Brant Community Healthcare System has opened a COVID-19 Assessment Centre at Brantford General Hospital D-wing entrance. This clinic will determine whether you need more medical care and/or testing for COVID-19.  Please see the Brant Community Healthcare System website for more information.

• If you seek medical care, share your recent travel history with your healthcare provider. Call ahead to your healthcare provider, the emergency department or ambulance services to receive instructions for your arrival.

• Avoid using public transportation.
  

Follow the below steps to ensure you are taking appropriate precautions and not further spreading the virus.

Stay home

• Do not use public transportation, taxis, or rideshares
• Do not go to work, school, or other public places
• Your healthcare provider or public health unit will tell you when it is safe to leave

Limit the number of visitors in your home

• Only have visitors who you must see and keep the visits short
• Keep away from seniors and people with chronic medical conditions (e.g., diabetes, lung problems, immune deficiency)

Avoid contact with others

• Stay in a separate room away from other people in your home as much as possible and use a separate bathroom if you have one
• Make sure that shared rooms have good airflow (e.g., open windows)

Keep distance

• If  you are in a room with other people, keep a distance of at least two metres and wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth
• If you cannot wear a mask, people should wear a mask when they are in the same room as you

Cover your coughs and sneezes

• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze
• Cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve or elbow, not your hand
• Throw used tissues in a lined wastebasket, and wash your hands; lining the wastebasket with a plastic bag makes disposal easier and safer
• After emptying the wastebasket, wash your hands

Wash your hands

• Wash your hands often, for at least 20 seconds, with soap and water
• Dry your hands with a paper towel, or with your own cloth towel that no one else shares
• Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available

Wear a mask over your nose and mouth

• Wear a mask if you must leave your house to see a healthcare provider
• Wear a mask when you are within two metres of other people

There are many ways that you and your children can stay physically active, even while maintaining the physical distancing guidelines. Some outside ideas include:

• Creating a backyard obstacle course
• Collecting nature items like twigs and pinecones, and using them to build something
• Going for a bike ride
• Chalking it up (chalk the sidewalk or driveway)
• Going for a walk and playing eye spy
• Using chalk to make fun games (like hopscotch!)
• Driving to a local trail and going on a hike

Staying indoors? Try some of these:

• Baking or cooking together
• Painting or drawing a picture
• Crafts – get creative!
• Listening to music or having a dance party to your favourite songs
• Building a puzzle
• Having a movie night
• Reading a book
• Writing in a journal or creating a story, maybe even a comic book!

Also, sticking to a schedule is helpful. Routines help provide a sense of stability and structure. Create a schedule that works for the whole family. Consider things such as:      

• Keeping consistent wake-up and sleep times
• Scheduling time for meals
• Scheduling time for schoolwork; go to the Ministry of Education Learning portal to access math and literacy skills, and other learning resources
• Getting outside for breaks and exercise
• Ending the day's routine by 3:00 p.m. (or the same time as their regular end of day)
• Keeping an evening routine that you are used to

There have been limited reports of animals becoming infected with COVID-19. There is currently no evidence that pets or other domestic animals play a significant role in the spread of COVID-19.  

If you are sick, it is recommended that you avoid contact with pets and other animals,  just like you would other people, until more is known.

Learn more by accessing Public Health Ontario's fact sheet.

In order to decrease transmission of COVID-19, all residents must practice physical distancing with those outside their social circle (bubble). Physical distancing involves taking steps to limit the number of people you come in close contact with. It is recommended that individuals make sure to avoid crowds and maintain a distance of two metres (six feet) from those around you.

Remember: While you may not feel sick and while we know these measures may be an inconvenience, please be mindful of the members of our community who are more vulnerable to COVID-19 than others. We are all in this together.

The following programs are currently suspended until further notice:

• TB testing clinics
• Tobacco cessation workshops

The Government of Canada has put in place an Emergency Order under the Quarantine Act that applies to all travellers arriving in Canada in order to slow the introduction and spread of COVID-19 in Canada.

TRAVELLERS WITH SYMPTOMS - Mandatory Isolation

If you have recently returned to Canada and have symptoms, you must isolate. This is mandatory. If required, immediate medical attention will be provided upon arrival in Canada.

Mandatory isolation means you MUST:

• Go directly to the place where you will isolate, without delay, and stay there for 14 days
• Go to your place of isolation using private transportation only, such as your personal vehicle
• Stay inside your home
• Not leave your place of isolation unless it's to see medical attention
• Do not go to school, work, other public areas or use public transportation (e.g., buses, taxis)
• Stay in a separate room and use a separate bathroom from others in your home, if possible
• Not have visitors and limit contact with others in the place of isolation , including children
• Not isolate in a place where you will have contact with vulnerable people such as older adults and individuals with underlying medical conditions
• If your symptoms get worse, immediately contact your health care provider or public health authority and follow their instructions.

If you have symptoms but do not have a place to isolate, you will be required to isolate for 14 days in a facility designated by the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada.

Violating any instructions provided to you when you entered Canada could lead up to six months in prison and/or $750,000 in fines.

TRAVELLERS WITHOUT SYMPTOMS - Mandatory Quarantine (mandatory self-isolation)

If you have recently returned to Canada and have no symptoms, you must quarantine (self-isolate) yourself. This is mandatory. You are at risk of developing symptoms and infecting others.

This means you MUST:

• Go directly to your place of quarantine, without delay, and stay there for 14 days
• Do not go to school, work, other public areas and community settings
• Monitor your health for symptoms of COVID-19
• Arrange to have someone pick up essentials like groceries or medication for you
• Do not have visitors
• Stay in a private place like your yard or balcony if you go outside for fresh air
• Keep a distance of at least two arms lengths (approximately two metres) from others

You can take public transportation to get to your place of self-isolation after you arrive in Canada, but you must not stop on the way home and practice physical (social) distancing at all times.

Violating any instructions provided to your when you entered Canada could lead up to six months in prison and/or $750,000 in fines.

If you develop symptoms within 14 days:

• isolate yourself from others
• immediately call a health care professional or BCHU and:
• describe your symptoms and travel history
• follow instructions carefully

Coronaviruses make up a large family of viruses that circulate in both humans and other animals. Human coronaviruses are common and are usually associated with mild illness, similar to the common cold and can spread easily between people. There are some coronaviruses that have spread from animals to humans, which have caused more severe illness in humans, such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).

The risk of developing severe disease from the 2019 novel coronavirus may be higher if you have a weakened immune system. This may be the case for:

• older people
• anyone with chronic disease such as diabetes, cancer, heart, renal or chronic lung disease

On December 31, 2019, health authorities in China identified a new (or novel) coronavirus (referred to as 2019-nCoV), after several reported cases of pneumonia in Wuhan, China. On February 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially named the new illness COVID-19, where COVI stands for coronavirus, D stands for disease and 19 represents 2019, the year it was first identified in people.

It is believed that COVID-19 originated in another animal. It is the seventh strain of coronavirus.

Common symptoms of COVID-19 include:

• Fever (temperature of 37.8 degrees Celsius or greater)
  
• New or worsening cough
• Shortness of breath (dyspnea)
  

Other symptoms of COVID-19 include:

• Sore throat 
  
• Hoarse voice
  
• Difficulty swallowing
  
• New olfactory or taste disorder(s)
  
• Nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain 
  
• Runny nose, sneezing or nasal congestion - in absence of underlying reason for these symptoms such as allergies, post nasal drip, etc.
  

Coronavirus infections are diagnosed based on laboratory testing. A specific test for COVID-19 has been developed to confirm an infection, if one is suspected. Testing is done by taking a swab from the back of the nose or throat. An assessment is done prior testing to determine if it is necessary based on symptoms and potential exposures. 

Coronaviruses can spread when the droplets due to cough or a sneeze from an infected person are breathed in deeply by anyone who is in close proximity to the infected person; similar to how influenza and other respiratory illnesses are spread.

The World Health Organization advises that symptoms may appear in as few as two days, or as long as 10 to 14 days, after being exposed to someone with COVID-19. This time period is subject to change and may be updated as new information becomes available.

Currently, there is no specific antiviral treatment for COVID-19.

There is no vaccine that protects against coronavirus.

The Brant Community Healthcare System is accepting donations of medical grade personal protective equipment (PPE) for staff and physicians.

While the kindness and generosity of the community is appreciated, homemade masks cannot be accepted, as they do not comply with Public Health Ontario Infection Prevention and Control Guidelines.