OTTAWA -- Good morning. Here is the latest news on COVID-19 and its impact on Ottawa.

Fast Facts:

  • Ottawa has seen more than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases in the past week.
  • Ottawa Bylaw issued 500 verbal warnings for COVID-19 violations over the weekend, but one councillor is calling for fines.
  • Gatineau police ticketed more than three dozen people who broke Quebec's nightly COVID-19 curfew on the weekend.
  • Ontario will announce new COVID-19 restrictions today, but sources say a curfew will not be among them.

COVID-19 by the numbers in Ottawa (Ottawa Public Health data):

  • New cases: 127 new cases on Monday
  • Total COVID-19 cases: 11,505
  • COVID-19 cases per 100,000 (previous seven days): 95.8
  • Positivity rate in Ottawa: 4.6 per cent (Jan. 4 - Jan. 10)
  • Reproduction Number: 1.12 (seven day average)

Testing:

Who should get a test?

Ottawa Public Health says there are five reasons to seek testing for COVID-19:

  • You are showing COVID-19 symptoms. OR
  • You have been exposed to a confirmed case of the virus, as informed by Ottawa Public Health or exposure notification through the COVID Alert app. OR
  • You are a resident or work in a setting that has a COVID-19 outbreak, as identified and informed by Ottawa Public Health. OR
  • You are eligible for testing as part of a targeted testing initiative directed by the Ministry of Health or the Ministry of Long-Term Care OR
  • You have traveled to the UK, or have come into contact with someone who recently traveled to the UK, please go get tested immediately (even if you have no symptoms).

Where to get tested for COVID-19 in Ottawa:

There are several sites for COVID-19 testing in Ottawa. To book an appointment, visit https://www.ottawapublichealth.ca/en/shared-content/assessment-centres.aspx

The Brewer Ottawa Hospital/CHEO Assessment Centre

Open Monday to Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Friday to Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

COVID-19 Drive-thru assessment centre at National Arts Centre: Open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The Moodie Care and Testing Centre: Open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The Heron Care and Testing Centre: Open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Ray Friel Care and Testing Centre: Open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The COVID-19 Assessment Centre at McNabb Community Centre: Open Monday to Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Symptoms:

Classic Symptoms: fever, new or worsening cough, shortness of breath

Other symptoms: sore throat, difficulty swallow, new loss of taste or smell, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, pneumonia, new or unexplained runny nose or nasal congestion

Less common symptoms: unexplained fatigue, muscle aches, headache, delirium, chills, red/inflamed eyes, croup

Ottawa sees more than 1,000 new cases of COVID-19 in a single week

Ottawa Public Health said Monday that 127 more people in Ottawa tested positive for COVID-19, another triple-digit case count for the city.

One new death related to COVID-19 was also reported in Ottawa on Monday.

In the past week, the city has added more than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases to its pandemic total. There have been only two days in January to date where OPH has reported fewer than 100 new cases of COVID-19. Daily reports from Jan. 5 to Jan 11 inclusive add up to 1,033 new cases of COVID-19 in total. 

The number of active cases of COVID-19 continues to hit record levels. There are 1,207 people with active infections in Ottawa as of Monday.

 

Councillor calls for Bylaw to get tough on COVID-19 rule-breakers

An Ottawa city councillor says it's time for bylaw officers to get serious about enforcing COVID-19 restrictions after word that nearly 500 verbal warnings were issued over the weekend.

In a tweet on Monday, Ottawa Bylaw said verbal warnings were issued for mask violations, failure to respect physical distancing and for playing hockey, which is also prohibited.

Gloucester-South Nepean Coun. Carol Anne Meehan told CTV News Ottawa she encountered several crowds when out over the weekend and said some of the people she spoke to were not concerned about the gatherings.

In a statement to CTV News, Director of Bylaw and Regulatory Services Roger Chapman said officers chose not to hand out fines this weekend, but tickets are coming if rules continue to be broken.

Rink of dreams

Nearly 40 tickets for breaking curfew handed out in Gatineau this weekend

Gatineau police (SPVG) say they've handed out nearly 40 tickets so far to people breaking Quebec's provincewide curfew.

The curfew first came into effect Saturday night. It runs nightly from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. for the next four weeks.

In an email to CTV News, the SPVG said police ticketed 21 people on Saturday night and 16 people on Sunday night for being out past 8 p.m. without a valid reason. Each person was given a $1000 fine, which comes to $1,546 after administrative fees, the police said. More than 400 people were questioned on Saturday alone.

Fines for breaking the curfew range from $1000 to $6000.

Quebec curfew during pandemic

Ontario not considering curfew but new COVID-19 lockdown restrictions will be announced Tuesday

Ontario Premier Doug Ford will announce new COVID-19 restrictions in the province today.

Sources told CTV News Toronto and CP24 that the premier is not considering a curfew like Quebec, but is possibly considering a second state of emergency.

Last week, Ford issued a dire warning to the province about the rapid increase in COVID-19 cases, saying that "extreme measures" would be needed to bring down the number of new infections. 

New modelling will also be released today. Ford said last week it will make people "fall off of their chairs."

Doug Ford, mask