The acting Medical Officer of Health for Hastings-Prince Edward says it’s great to see the number of active COVID-19 cases in the area drop to zero, but the work isn’t done.
Dr. Alexa Caturay was a guest on CJBQ’s Lorne Brooker Show Friday morning, discussing the next steps as we move through the pandemic.
She says we can’t ignore that the virus still exists and need to continue to practice the “fundamental five” habits, in order to prevent its spread.
“Staying home when anybody is sick, making sure we keep two metres apart, wearing a face mask or face covering when keeping that physical distancing isn’t possible (especially when people are inside), practising hand hygiene and going for testing when anyone thinks they may have been exposed.”
She added that even though the numbers have improved significantly, they are “strongly encouraging” people to wear masks when physical distancing isn’t possible.
“Although our case counts here are low and we anticipate they will continue to be low, we want to make sure we’re protecting everybody. I think that wearing masks in public and in those settings where physical distancing is hard, is the right thing to do. It’s something that we can all do for each other to keep each other safe.”
And she says while masks aren’t mandatory in our area right now, there could come a time when that is the case and the health unit wants everyone to be prepared for that, if it happens.
Dr. Caturay says she’s grateful for how the public has listened to advice in handling the situation and also praised staff at HPE Public Health for their hard work in educating and testing, to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
