Keep Easter gatherings small and limit close contacts, Ottawa's top doctor urges

Ottawa's top doctor is urging people to keep Easter gatherings small and limit your number of contacts this weekend, as COVID-19 levels remain high in the community.

"We are still in the middle of a significant wave and taking these precautions will help slow the spread of COVID-19 in our community," medical officer of health Dr. Vera Etches said in a special statement on Wednesday.

This weekend is the first holiday weekend without any restrictions on social gatherings or capacity limits since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Etches says with Ottawa seeing a high level of COVID-19 in the community, you should "continue to assess your individual risk" and the risk of those you gather with before attending gatherings this weekend.

"Given the current high level of COVID-19 in the community, Ottawa Public Health is strongly recommending individuals to wear masks in indoor settings," Etches said.

"Consider keeping your gatherings smaller and limiting the number of contacts outside your household."

During an interview on CTV News at Six, Etches was asked about capacity limits for gatherings.

"There's no hard capacity limits," Etches said.

"We do want to encourage people think about those who are more vulnerable – those who haven't had COVID, haven't had vaccination, have underlying chronic conditions. We want to do the things we know to decrease the risk for them; so that is smaller numbers, it does mean opening doors and windows.

"This is a time with high levels of COVID-19 in the community, not everyone has had a fourth dose if they're over 80."

Ottawa's COVID-19 wastewater levels remain higher now than at any point during the COVID-19 pandemic. Co-lead investigator Tyson Graber told Newstalk 580 CFRA that levels are currently about three times as high as the last Omicron peak in January.

Etches is encouraging everyone to get all the vaccination doses they are eligible for, and if you're feeling sick, stay home.

"I know that hearing the same message for two years is not easy. Sharing this message is not easy. We have been through – and continue to navigate – a significant event that will leave an imprint on our lives forever," Etches said.

"We don't yet know long COVID will be present in the community, or to what extent, but we've been at this for 25 long months and we will see this through with you. Such measures will not always be needed, but are useful to go back to in times of high levels of COVID-19 in the community."

Ottawa Public Health is reminding residents aged 60 and older that they are now eligible for a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.  Residents can choose to book their fourth dose after three months for additional protection by calling the provincial booking line, rather than booking online.

DISCUSSIONS WITH THE PROVINCE

Etches says Ottawa Public Health continues to have discussions with the province about possible new restrictions to limit the spread of COVID-19, but she has no plans to issue local restrictions right now.

"I'm not planning to issue a Section 22. I still look at that all the time, it's not off the table forever – it's today," Etches told reporters following Wednesday's council meeting.

"While it is very striking the amount of COVID in our community, it isn't resulting in a significant level of severe illness in terms of the hospitalizations - they're remaining very moderate compared to previous waves.

"We know it is always better to prevent illness than to wait until something severe shows up, and so we are in conversations with the province, the chief medical officer of health."

Etches says another discussion with chief medical officer of health Dr. Kieran Moore was scheduled for Wednesday, "to really put forward the kind of things that we think would still make a difference in this resurgence, and it does include indoor masking."