The Northwestern Health Unit (NWHU) recommends that everyone in our area practice social distancing to help protect our communities and to keep others healthy. Implementing social distancing early is critical to help reduce the risk of COVID-19 in our communities.
The provincial-wide closures of public settings are meant to “flatten the curve”, or prevent a large number of people from getting sick at the same time. “By limiting contact with others, it helps minimize the burden on the health care system by ensuring not everyone needs care at once”, says Dr. Ian Gemmill, Acting Medical Officer of Health at NWHU.
How to practice social distancing:
- Avoid crowded public spaces.
- Stay two metres from others in public spaces.
- Avoid physical contact with others, including handshakes.
- If possible, ask your employer about options to work from home.
- When possible, spend time outside and in settings where you can maintain a two metre distance from others.
- If you are sick, stay home.
- If you have recently traveled outside of the country or had close contact with a confirmed
- COVID-19 case, stay home.
- Limit contact with older individuals or those with chronic health conditions. Please see “NWHU,” P3
- If you are high risk, avoid contact with those who are more likely to transmit illnesses such as small children.
Social distancing does not mean “you must stay in your home”. You can still go outside to walk, go to the park, or go to the store; just use the precautions above when doing so. Remember you can always connect with family and friends using technology as well.
NWHU supports the recent closures of community services and businesses to help social distancing efforts. While you might not feel sick, and these measures can disrupt your normal routine, it is important that we follow them to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, especially to our vulnerable populations. We are all in this together.
As a social distancing measure, some NWHU services have been suspended as well. A list of such services can be found at www.nwhu.on.ca.
Visit Ontario’s website to learn more about how the province continues to protect Ontarians from COVID-19.
