The Medical Officer of Health for Huron Perth acknowledges this is going to be a very difficult Christmas, particularly for people who are separated from family.
But Doctor Miriam Klassen says it's still necessary to be vigilant in order to protect our selves, our family, our friends and our health care capacity. She says close contact over the holidays should be limited to people living within your own household. She also points out that having a test before you travel does not mean you can do whatever you want for the next two weeks.
"Having a negative test result means that on the day that you had the swab taken, you were not incubating enough COVID-19 to be detected. By the time you get result that could already have changed. So, testing is not part of the strategy."
She adds, if a person was able to self-isolate for two weeks before travelling, that might be helpful.
Doctor Klassen strongly recommends that once they've reached their destination they follow the guidelines that everyone else is.
"People need to restrict their interactions to their own close household and take extra precautions if there is someone in the household who might be at higher risk of adverse impact, such as a grandparent or someone who is immune-compromised, keep away from individuals like that."
Doctor Klassen also very strongly urges people who can't safely connect with family members in person, to connect virtually or over the phone. A complete list of guidelines can be found on the Huron Perth Public Health web site.
