COVID-19 strains city health system

Mayor warns `alarming' increase in case numbers must be curbed

As Ontario enters a new state of emergency, Ottawa's ability to cope with growing COVID-19 numbers is waning.

Just hours after Premier Doug Ford announced a provincewide stay-at-home order, beginning Thursday at 12:01 a.m. and lasting at least 28 days, local health and municipal officials pleaded with Ottawa residents, once again, to stay home and limit contacts to bring case numbers down before the city's health system is unable to cope.

“This is a critical time in Ottawa for our COVID-19 response. The numbers in our city are increasing at an alarming rate,” said Mayor Jim Watson. “If we can't get these numbers under control, our hospitals will not be able to maintain services and the number of deaths will increase.”

Questions remain about how the new order will affect the way people live, especially regarding outdoor recreation. It remained unclear Tuesday whether city skating rinks or even the Rideau Canal Skateway would be able to open under the new order.

But city officials said tougher restrictions are needed because Ottawa's steeply rising COVID-19 case count is threatening the health system.

Provincial data released Tuesday showed that, as of Jan. 8, two Ottawa intensive care units had only two beds available at a time when COVID-19 cases and hospitalization rates in the city are increasing sharply.

In addition, during the first week in January, 1,008 people tested positive in Ottawa, “by far the highest number we have seen in a week since the start of the pandemic,” said Medical Officer of Health Dr. Vera Etches. “All of our monitoring indicators mean Ottawa is once again in crisis territory.”

The rising numbers come just weeks after Ottawa was among the most successful cities in Canada at controlling cases. Meanwhile, one case of the new, more contagious variant has been identified in Ottawa and officials are monitoring for more.

Etches and Watson acknowledged Ottawa residents are “sick and tired” of the pandemic, but said tougher restrictions are necessary to bring numbers back down.

Still, 10 months after the province entered its first pandemic state of emergency last spring, questions remained about the order announced Tuesday.

It remained unclear how the Rideau Canal Skateway would be affected by the stay-at-home order.

“We are currently reviewing the impacts the new measures could have on our operations,” said National Capital Commission spokeswoman Dominique Huras. More details are expected Wednesday.

Anthony Di Monte, who heads Ottawa's emergency and protective services, said the city might have to shut down some city operations, including rinks, but will wait for the detailed regulations from the province, expected Wednesday.

“It seems quite clear to me that the objective is to stay at home as much as you can and only travel outside your household for essential things such as groceries, medical appointments and, perhaps, a walk around the block to get some exercise.”

Among other things, the order reduces the number of people who can gather outside from 10 to five and limits retail hours for stores selling non-essential goods and those doing curbside pickup.

Bylaw officers, police officers or workplace inspectors, in some cases, can temporarily close premises in contravention of the regulations and disperse people gathering as well as issue fines.

Di Monte said enforcement is a tool, but he expects most people will follow the rules.

Still, even before the new order, fatigue with public-health regulations over outdoor activities was beginning to show in Ottawa.

Frustrated Gloucester-South Nepean Coun. Carol Anne Meehan called for more enforcement after hundreds of verbal warnings were issued last weekend about outdoor gatherings of more than 25 people.

Meehan said she was concerned people weren't taking the pandemic seriously.

Tuesday's provincial announcement has already been criticized by some for its lack of clarity about what people should do regarding outdoor recreation and going to stores that remain open for non-essential items, for example.

Etches, who has encouraged outdoor exercise since the beginning of the pandemic, said people might need to “make that exercise closer to home and avoid places that are crowded. Go to open spaces and areas that are not crowded. And in smaller numbers.”

Ottawa parents are also waiting for more details about when children can go back to schools.

The province's chief medical officer of health will provide recommendations on Jan. 20. When school does resume, children in Grades 1 to 3 will be required to wear masks indoors, and masks will be required outdoors.

There was good news amid the tougher restrictions, though.

After cancelling some vaccination appointments this week, the city has received another shipment of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and was to resume vaccinating long-term care residents first thing on Wednesday.

Residents in 12 of the city's 28 long-term care homes have now received one dose of vaccine.

It seems quite clear to me that the objective is to stay at home as much as you can …