As 117 cases of COVID-19 were reported in Grey-Bruce this week, Public Health reminds us that current variants are highly transmissible and able to generate a high number of cases in a matter of days.

The Medical Officer of Health, in a media release, says they are cautiously optimistic we collectively can provide Grey Bruce with safe holidays with the continued vigilance of the public over the coming few days. 

The results of the ongoing investigations and the risk assessments confirm the following trends:

The majority of the recent cases in students are actually associated with social activities before and after organized sports. Those activities include, but not limited to:

• attending team parties and gatherings before or after the game (teammates are friends);
• commuting, carpooling and bussing to and from games with members outside of one’s household;
• using and socializing in dressing rooms without following safety precautions;
• traveling to and time spent in areas of higher rates of COVID-19 for the purposes of games and tournaments

The exception to the above is the increase in risk of transmission associated with sports like basketball, where unprotected, face-to-face contact is likely, where the transmission likely happened in both the game and the above social activity.

The results confirms that transmission within the school setting remains very low especially in the class setting.

Our recommendations to young adults participating in sports is :

To keep sports safe in times of higher case counts, Public Health strongly recommends to young adults, teams and facility operators to implement the following measures:

• Adhering to physical distancing recommendations on the bench and in the stands
• Lowering capacity limits in player and spectator areas
• Limiting use of communal spaces outside of play, like change rooms or meeting areas
• Preventing the following social activity:

• attending team parties and gatherings before or after the game (teammates are friends);
• commuting, carpooling and bussing to and from games with members outside of one’s household;
• using and socializing in dressing rooms without following safety precautions;
• traveling to and time spent in areas of higher rates of COVID-19 for the purposes of games and tournaments

 “We all want to see this hockey season, and all future seasons, carry on successfully and safely for everyone, both young and old. Medical professionals have kept and continue to keep us healthy and we as amateur sports associations must ensure we do our part as well and ask our members to continue to be diligent,” said Mr. Tom Desmond, Kincardine MHA President.

Please consult your sports organization and/or workplace for further direction.

For Grey Bruce Health Units’ detailed guidance for sports and recreation, please review the below resource:
Measures for Recreational Amenities (publichealthgreybruce.on.ca)
For Provincial rules and regulation, please review the website information below:
COVID-19 public health measures and advice | COVID-19 (coronavirus) in Ontario
Get Vaccinated as soon as possible with your 1st, 2nd and 3rd dose based on eligibility
COVID-19 vaccines for Ontario | COVID-19 (coronavirus) in Ontario
COVID-19 Vaccines (publichealthgreybruce.on.ca)

Regular COVID-19 precautions at all times:
COVID-19: Stop the spread | ontario.ca
What can I do to help prevent the spread (publichealthgreybruce.on.ca)

source:  media release, GBHU