OTTAWA -- Ottawa’s top doctor insists it’s “business as usual” for City of Ottawa businesses and the tourism sector despite concerns over COVID-19.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Medical Officer of Health Dr. Vera Etches said “we’re not sure exactly when this virus may arrive here or if it will end up spreading locally, so there’s no reason at this point to change people’s plans for the summer.”
Last week, the World Health Organization and the World Tourism Organization committed to working together in guiding the travel and tourism sectors’ response to COVID-19. A statement from the organizations said “International cooperation is vital for ensuring the sector can effectively contribute to the containment of COVID-19.”
Italy is urging tourists not to stay away from popular tourists areas. In Rome, more than 50 per cent of bookings have been cancelled until the end of March.
Social gatherings
Dr. Etches insists there is no need to cancel upcoming social gatherings or parties.
“There’s no reason to change plans to have social gatherings, sporting events. It really should be business as usual,” Etches said Monday.
“People need to be able to have support of their social communities when they’re stressed. There’s no virus that we’ve detected circulating in our community that would suggest that we need to take away from those supports and the good things social gatherings give us.”
Etches says if anything changes, there would need to be a conversation between Federal and municipal officials about cancelling events or encouraging people to cancel social gatherings.
