The Windsor Essex County Health Unit reported an additional 202 cases of COVID-19 in the region Monday.
Another 16 residents of the region have died after contracting the virus. The health unit reported 13 of the deaths were among residents of long-term care homes, while a woman in her 60s who was an employee of a long-term care home also passed away. The other two deaths were among people who lived in the general community.
“The message is to stay home. Don’t do anything that you don’t need to do. You do not need to meet anyone. You do not need to go to any non-essential visits or anything else that you don’t need to do. That is the only way we can bring these case counts to a number that can be manageable for our region,” said Medical Officer of Health Dr. Wajid Ahmed.
Dr. Ahmed warns the region continues to be in a crisis situation. There are 20 long-term care facilities, 16 workplaces, two community facilities, and two schools currently experiencing outbreaks.
"All the long-term care homes and retirement homes that are attached to area hospitals for staffing supports, the hospitals are struggling to send their support to these homes and it has become a crisis now," said Dr. Ahmed. "Our public health staff are following up cases as best as possible but we have more than 2,500 active cases in our region."
The health unit is continuing to monitor data and will make a decision regarding students returning to the classroom by mid-week.
Province-wide, elementary schools are set to return to in-class learning on January 11. However, the WECHU mandated the closure of all in-class learning before Christmas break and is considering extending the order.
“We don’t want to jeopardize any learning opportunity for our children. So, what can we do to better support it? That’s the critical piece and we are trying to find that balance. We’ll continue to look at the evidence and make decisions and recommendations that make sense for our region,” said Dr. Ahmed.
St. Rose Catholic Elementary School and Georges P. Vanier School are currently experiencing outbreaks, according to the health unit. These outbreaks are among staff as students have not been in the classroom since December 11, 2020.
