Ottawa's Mayor & Top Doc Are Urging Locals To Only Socialize With Their Household

As cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa continue to climb, the city’s mayor and top doctor are urging residents to limit their close contacts bubble once again.

In a statement on October 5, the city’s medical officer of health wrote, “Here in Ottawa, daily new numbers are at an all-time high."

"These are not records we want to be breaking. Hospitalizations and outbreaks continue to increase,” she said.

In response to this spike, “we must limit our close contacts to our households,” the top doctor continued.

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Limit your close contacts as best you can to those in your household.

Mayor Jim Watson

Mayor Jim Watson echoed this message in a tweet on Tuesday morning. 

He urged Ottawans to limit their contacts to their household once again, and recommended downloading the COVID-19 alert app.

While both Dr. Etches and Mayor Watson agreed that social bubbles must be limited, they noted that people living alone should still have one or two contacts. 

This comes just days after Canada's top doctor advised "serious planning" ahead of Thanksgiving. She urged locals to keep the celebrations minimal, a message backed-up by Dr. Etches.

Last week, Ottawa Public Health acknowledged that the rules and guidelines keep changing, but described the situation as "trying to build the plane while we’re flying it.”

*This article's cover image is for illustrative purposes only.