Will masks become mandatory in C-K?
By Jenna Cocullo, Local Journalism Initiative
Chatham-Kent has seen a significant spike in COVID-19 cases over the long weekend, and that has the local medical officer of health concerned.
Forty new cases were reported on Tuesday afternoon by CK Public Health.
Seventy-two cases remain active. Four individuals are currently hospitalized and 68 are self-isolating.
Dr. David Colby, reached by The Chatham Voice late Tuesday evening, said the cases are not coming from random individuals without any idea about where they contracted the virus. However, he still remains worried that the recent cases could spread into the wider community.
Throughout Chatham-Kent’s Stage 3 of reopening, Colby has received some complaints of individuals not physically distancing and throwing large parties.
“I’m hearing people are being complacent in the community,” he said.
Physical distancing remains a requirement for all people who are not from the same household or social circle, under the provincial Stage 3 guidelines.
The “vast majority” of new cases are linked to defined risk groups, such as the Low-German Speaking community which recently had a surge of cases throughout southwest Ontario, according to Colby.
He also reiterated that the communities who have been heavily hit throughout the pandemic are victims of COVID-19 and not the cause of the problem.
Colby said the most effective COVID-19 controls are physical distancing, engineering controls (plastic barriers), and administrative controls (one-way aisles and crowd limits), then personal protective equipment (PPE).
When asked if the recent surge in cases have changed his mind about masks, Colby said he is feeling pressure to make them mandatory, “and I may be undertaking that.”
He added that the mask debate has possibly become so politicized “that we can’t have rational discussion about it anymore.”
He said some studies show cloth masks are not effective and can make the situation worse. Although they may protect against large droplets from coughing and sneezing, Colby said individuals who are coughing and sneezing shouldn’t go out in the first place.
“I don’t want people to think ‘I have my mask, I can do anything I want to,’” he said.
Colby did say that the community is doing something right because there is no strain on the hospitals, unlike countries such as the United States and Spain which have overwhelmed their health-care systems.
“I’m unhappy about these increased cases. But at least we are not clogging our hospitals and everyone is receiving care,” Colby said. “We’ll keep our eye on the horizon and steer our way to safety.”
Cumulatively, Chatham-Kent has seen 288 positive cases. More than 13,700 residents have been tested.
Out of Ontario’s 35 public health units, the municipality is sixth in the province for the most cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 residents, according to Ontario Public Health data.
Chatham-Kent’s rate of infection sits at 261.5 per 100,000 residents. The Windsor-Essex region has seen the highest infection rate, with 551 cases per 100,000 residents, followed by the Toronto Public Health Unit with 454 cases.
READ MORE: Mask petition sent to council; mayor stands behind Colby
Regional updates
On Tuesday, Premier Doug Ford announced Windsor-Essex will not be entering Stage 3 of reopening.
The region currently has 835 active cases. Forty-four new cases were reported over the long-weekend. There are currently five workplace outbreaks in the agricultural centre, one in construction, six in manufacturing and two in long-term care facilities.
Colby said residents coming to Windsor-Essex for Stage 3 benefits is always a concern, but so far reopening has not been the main problem.
He reiterated previous comments, that it was more of a concern when Chatham-Kent entered Stage 2 and services such as hairdressers and patios were in high demand from areas left in Stage 1.
“But I can’t do anything about that. I can’t put up walls or borders,” he said.
Sarnia-Lambton sits at 24 active cases. Only two new cases were reported over the long-weekend. Within the county, Sarnia is the only municipality to mandate masks be worn in public spaces. Petrolia’s council will be voting on a similar motion at its upcoming Monday meeting.
Middlesex-London Public Health is reporting 31 active cases. No new cases were reported since Friday. A mandatory mask order was issued in mid-July for the region.
Southwest Public Health (Oxford- Elgin-St. Thomas) sits at 79 active cases, after reporting 35 new cases over the long weekend. The health unit is the latest to implement a mandatory mask order, which came into effect last Thursday.
READ MORE: Drive-thru COVID testing continues
My son visited from Guelph a couple of weeks ago and after going to our local grocery and seeing how many people were wearing masks he made the comment give Chatham-Kent 2 or 3 weeks. I hope this trend does not continue. Guelph has been in mandatory asks for some time and their cases are minimal.
Canmore Alberta mandated masks in public and down the main drag but sarnia is the only one mandating masks in the country? How can the news just keep making up untrue facts and soliciting them as news .
The information is not made up. The sentence to which you refer was part of a regional snapshot of what’s taking place in Southwestern Ontario. It had a subheader “Regional updates” above it and other SW Ontario info.
We are sixth in case numbers but we are preparing to open schools? Time to rethink that?