Ontario residents who might have been hoping to get a New Year's smooch at midnight on Thursday have been told they should keep their celebrations within the confines of their immediate household.
That is essentially the advice today from Ontario's Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Barbara Yaffe who said New Year's celebrations should be held with the seriousness of the pandemic in mind.
Yaffe spoke during a media briefing on the provincial response to the COVID-19 so far, and noted that Ontario had reported its highest daily case load ever on Tuesday when it was revealed that 2553 Ontario citizens had tested positive for the coronavirus.
Yaffe had commented briefly on the importance of travellers following 14-day quarantines and said it was essential for everyone to follow public health measures including those restrictions now in place because of the province wide lockdown.
"As we all look ahead to Thursday night and the promise of a new year, a new year with more and more people being immunized against COVID-19, please remember that we are not over this side of the mountain just yet. We still have some kilometres to climb before we can safely go down the other side," said Yaffe.
Recognizing that people traditionally like to party hard to bring in the new year, she urged caution.
"Please celebrate this coming new year with all the optimism and hope it deserves, but do so with great care. This year we need to celebrate with those in our immediate households only so that next year we can gather and raise a toast with all our family and friends," she said.
Len Gillis is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter at Sudbury.com, covering health care in Northern Ontario. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the federal government.
