The entire province is now under Alert Level 3 thanks to an increase in COVID numbers spurred by three separate outbreaks
Eighty-six of the province’s 223 active cases are Omicron or presumptive Omicron cases.
Alert Level 3 means all bars and lounges are now closed and the capacity at most other gatherings and events is limited to 50 per cent with continued masking and social distancing.
Family and personal gatherings are limited to your “steady twenty” or the group of people with whom you most commonly or regularly have contact.
The province will remain under Alert Level 3 until January 10th when the situation will be reassessed.
Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald knows the change is unwelcome news.
“The last thing we want is for people to think the work we’ve put into this in the last two years is all in vain,” she says. The restrictions previously put in place meant the province fared much better than other jurisdictions, and helped to save lives. “Today we need to face things as they are, not as we want them to be.”
The change to Alert Level 3 across the province means enhanced visitor restrictions at many personal care and long-term care facilities, but the province’s Chief Medical Officer of Health says they are working through the details to ensure that people can still see their loved ones over the holidays.
When towns in central were placed under level 3 earlier in the week, Central Health imposed a restriction of one designated visitor per resident in such facilities.
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says discussions are happening around what they are going to recommend for long-term and personal care homes. However, she notes that people living in those settings are at a higher risk for illness, hospitalization, and death, and therefore need to be protected to the greatest extent possible.
That said, they don’t want to go back to the scenario seen in the spring of 2020 where visitation wasn’t allowed at all. She says they are trying to find a way to still have visitation while reducing the risk as much as possible. But, she says people need to be prepared for visitation not to be as free as it has been.
Temporary visitor restrictions are in place in all long-term care homes, hospitals, and personal care homes in Western Health. Visitation is limited to one support person and two designated visitors for each patient/resident.
