The Northwestern Health Unit (NWHU)has been notified that a resident of Fort Frances has tested positive coronavirus (COVID-19).
The affected individual is an adult who has recently returned from international travel.
“The individual was seen, assessed and tested in Winnipeg”, said Dr. Ian Gemmill, Acting Medical Officer of Health for Northwestern Health Unit. “This person is now recovering back at home in Fort Frances and is in self-isolation. To protect the health of the public and to prevent community spread, NWHU immediately began to identify potential sites of exposure and has ensured that the limited number of persons who have come in close contact with the person are in self-quarantine.”
NWHU assures residents of the area that COVID-19 is not circulating in the region and that the positive case contracted the illness outside of Canada. “To date there is no evidence of community spread of COVID-19 in our area, or in most of Canada.”
He noted that there are preventive measures that the public can take to protect themselves from getting sick.
“The virus can enter the body only through the nose, eyes, and mouth, so the best prevention methods continue to be washing hands often and not touching one’s face,” Dr. Gemmill advises.
NWHU is working with the ministry of Health and with federal, provincial, and local health providers to monitor the situation and protect the community. For information on COVID-19, please visit www.nwhu.on.caVisit Ontario’s website to learn more about how the province continues to protect Ontarians from COVID-19.
