RAINY RIVER, Ont. – The Northwestern Health Unit has issued a public warning as COVID-19 case counts rise in Rainy River.
The town, located around 400 kilometres west of Thunder Bay, now has over 10 active cases among its population of 800, the health unit warned in a statement issued Saturday evening.
“The risk of transmission of COVID-19 is higher in the Rainy River area,” said Dr. Kit Young Hoon, medical officer of health with the NWHU. “We’ve seen the devastation that COVID-19 has brought to other areas in Canada, and we need our residents to do everything they can to prevent the spread.”
“Now is the time to act and follow the guidelines of the province-wide shutdown.”
That includes avoiding gatherings with anyone outside of one’s household, avoiding unnecessary travel, and self-isolating and arranging for testing if any COVID-19 symptoms develop, she said.
The NWHU announced four new cases of COVID-19 in the Rainy River district on Saturday, and had previously warned last week of rising cases in the area.
The health unit has not posted updated COVID-19 data since Dec. 23, though the most recent provincial data indicated there were 13 active cases in its catchment area as of Saturday.
The health unit generally does not disclose the specific municipality where COVID-19 cases are located, citing privacy concerns.
However, it broke with that practice to warn of the worrying spread of the virus in Rainy River.
