Covid-19 update
---Vaccination passport in effect as cases rise
With 66 new Covid-19 cases over the previous day, the total number of cases in the Outaouais since the start of the pandemic reached 12,955 as of August 30. According to the Centre intégré de la santé et des services sociaux de l’Outaouais (CISSSO), there were 173 active Covid-19 cases in the region at the time.
With 215 deaths in the Outaouais, CISSSO officials noted that 12,535 people had recovered from the virus. Last week, one person was hospitalized, with none needing intensive care, and four of CISSSO’s employees were infected. Over the last week, CISSSO said it administered an average of 374 Covid-19 screening tests per day.
CISSSO said Gatineau’s urban core has accounted for the majority of coronavirus cases in the region at this point, with 9,752 cumulative cases and 141 active ones.
The MRC de Papineau has had 1,409 total cases, with 23 active cases; the MRC de la Vallée-de-la-Gatineau has had 568 with five or less active cases; the MRC des Collines-de-l’Outaouais has recorded 779 cases with five or less active cases; and the MRC de Pontiac has seen 393 total cases, with zero active cases. The origin of 21 cases had yet to be determined.
-Provincial safety regulations, vaccine passport
The provincial government is now enforcing the obligation of digital or paper-proof vaccination passports for everyone over the age 13 to engage in certain activities deemed as non-essential, such as going to restaurants, bars, gyms, and festivals, with the purpose of not spreading the virus in at-risk areas until further notice.
People can access their vaccination passport via the VaxiCode mobile telephone application.
Still advising people to avoid unnecessary contact, current Covid-19 green zone regulations allow people to host indoor gatherings of no more than 10 people from different addresses or the maximum of three different households, with a maximum of 20 people for outdoor gatherings. Local restaurant dining rooms are allowed to operate with a maximum of 10 people from different addresses or the occupants from a maximum of three private dwellings per table. Outdoor patios can accommodate a maximum of 20 people per table. Attendance registers are mandatory.
Bars are also allowed to operate at 50 per cent capacity stipulated on one’s respective liquor license, whereas singing (karaoke) and dancing remain prohibited, adding that patrons must remain at their respective tables. It added that such establishments must close by 2 am and stop selling alcohol at 1 am. Maximum capacities per table are the same for bars as for restaurants. Stadiums and large indoor halls can host events with a potential maximum capacity of 7,500 people. With more than 500 people, audiences must be separated into maximal sections of 500 people.
In post-secondary institutions, students will resume in-person classes, extracurricular activities, and field trips this fall without restrictions.
Mask wearing will be mandatory in all indoor spaces, and during transportation to and from school, adding that proof of vaccination will be required for students to participate in certain extracurricular activities. Social distancing will not be mandatory in classrooms, but will be required in gyms, eating areas, certain activities such as singing classes, and common areas when possible.
Welcoming and integration activities will also be allowed in compliance to provincial Covid-19 public safety guidelines. For adult education centres, in-person classes will resume this fall with mask-wearing mandatory for everyone.
In high school and elementary school, in-person classes will restart with masks necessary at all times inside schools, including common areas, classrooms, and school transportation. In preschool, the government says masks are not needed.
People wanting to get tested for Covid-19 are encouraged to consult CISSSO’s online self-assessment tool before calling 1-877-644-4545 to set up an appointment within 24 hours. More COVID-19 related information regarding the Outaouais is available on CISSSO’s website.
--Drop-in vaccination at Giant Tiger
CISSSO recommends everyone over 12 to get vaccinated. People aged 12 and 13 must have their legal guardian’s consent to be vaccinated.
Reminding to wait at least four weeks between doses, CISSSO encourages people to get vaccinated at various walk-in clinics in the region. Those include August 30 between 9 am and 6 pm at the Giant Tiger on 715 boulevard Maloney Est in Gatineau; August 31 at the Office d’habitation de l’Outaouais on 64 boulevard de la Gappe in Gatineau; at the Giant Tiger in Aylmer on September 2 between 11 am and 9 pm; and at the Walmart in the Plateau on September 3 between 11 am and 9 pm.
With no appointment necessary at the mobile clinics, CISSSO will announce additional dates and locations as they become available.
