There’s no doubt it will be a different and challenging Thanksgiving weekend. While many people in the region may usually head out of town to celebrate with friends and family, the Middlesex-London Health Unit is urging people to keep their gatherings to household members or take the annual festivities online. The Health Unit is also calling on people to avoid travelling to areas including the GTA, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City, where COVID-19 case numbers have increased significantly in recent weeks.

“The coronavirus activity being reported in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec is concerning. These are the places many of our post-secondary students would normally go to be with family over the Thanksgiving weekend,” says Dr. Chris Mackie, Medical Officer of Health at the Middlesex-London Health Unit. “If you’re a student who is planning to leave London this weekend, we ask that you use extra caution and avoid close contact with anyone you haven’t lived with since school started. It’s important we keep our loved ones, especially older relatives, safe and healthy.”

In addition to limiting close contact to only those in your household this weekend and avoiding non-essential travel to the COVID-19 hot spots mentioned above, the Health Unit also recommends wearing a mask in all public spaces, as well as at workplaces and in breakrooms.

Public Health officials further advise the following to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 infections:

• If you live alone, consider having close contact with only one other household.
• Avoid play dates with other families in the neighbourhood, as well as movie nights, sleep-overs, and social gatherings with friends at bars and restaurants.
• Maintain two metres physical distance from anyone who is not part of your household.
• Wear a mask whenever outside of the home; including visits to the store and interactions with colleagues at work, or in breakrooms.
• Visit an Assessment Centre to get tested if you have symptoms of COVID-19, if you have been contacted by the Middlesex-London Health Unit or have been notified through the COVID-Alert notification app of close contact with a confirmed case.
• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for 15-20 seconds or use a waterless hand sanitizer that contains at least 70 percent alcohol.
• Cover coughs and/or sneezes with your sleeve or cough into your elbow.
• Clean high-touch areas, including doorknobs, handrails and other surfaces, frequently.
• Download the COVID-Alert mobile app to be notified if you may have been exposed to COVID-19, and to let others know if you test positive for the virus.

For more information visit the Middlesex-London Health Unit’s website at: www.healthunit.com/novel-coronavirus.

Media Contact:
Dan Flaherty, Communications Manager, Middlesex-London Health Unit
519-617-0570 (cell)

Spokesperson:
Dr. Chris Mackie, Medical Officer of Health, Middlesex-London Health Unit