THUNDER BAY – The Thunder Bay District Health unit is advising residents of Northwestern Ontario to not leave the region for non-essential reasons over the holiday season.
The health unit on Thursday issued a caution to would-be travellers to stay close to home and for those who do leave the region to isolate as much as possible for 10 days upon return, limiting close interactions with others and to not attend any gatherings.
They should also only leave their home for essential reasons, such as groceries or medical care.
“With the rise in case numbers in many jurisdictions, and the increased risk related to the omicron variant, travel is not advisable at this time and should be for urgent or essential reasons only,” said Dr. Janet DeMille, medical officer of health at TBDHU.
“People who are planning to travel are encouraged to rethink their plans and consider deferring their travel to a better time.”
DeMille pointed to a dramatic rise in cases, saying there were 2,400 new cases in Ontario reported on Wednesday, with projections showing as many as 10,000 a day by Dec. 31.
She added a number of new cases locally have been related to travel outside of Northwestern Ontario, including Minnesota, Wisconsin and Manitoba.
The advisory is aimed at everyone, regardless of their vaccination status.
Those who do travel are also advised to monitor for symptoms and if they develop, to fully isolate and arrange for testing.
Travelers are also implored to let workplaces know of any travel that may have taken place and follow any guidelines their place of employment might have in place regarding leaving the region.
