The Northwestern Health Unit says we are doing a good job of keeping COVID-19 at bay, but we can’t let our guard down.
There have been 73 positive cases of COVID-19 in the catchment area, compared to 76,707 in Ontario as a whole.
Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kit Young Hoon thinks it’s in part due to where we live.
“The lower numbers are being seen across the north. So it could just be that there’s less interaction between the north and other populations. That’s only to a certain extent. We do know that people do travel back and forth to Manitoba and that they do travel to southern Ontario. I don’t think we’re completely safe.”
There were 312 new cases of COVID-19 and six deaths in Manitoba on Sunday. The Winnipeg area is going to “Red” Monday, bringing a number of new restrictions, including reduced retail capacity and a halt on dine-in eating at restaurants.
“Here we have a lot more space,” says Dr. Young Hoon. “People enjoy the outdoors more. So that could possibly explain why we’ve done better minimizing the spread of COVID-19.
She suggests local residents tend to follow health measures more closely than elsewhere.
Overall the positive test rate in our area is 0.2% compared to 2.8% in the rest of Ontario.
