Health unit gets 'another tool' to ensure compliance with health orders
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Residents who fail to follow public health instructions, including mandatory self-isolation after being diagnosed with COVID-19, now face fines of up to $5,000 a day.
Dr. Elizabeth Urbantke, Brant’s acting medical officer of health, on Tuesday issued a public health order giving the Brant County Health Unit the authority to enforce public health instructions. The measure, known as a Section 22 order under Ontario’s Health Protection and Promotion Act, came into effect at 11:59 p.m. It will remain in effect until further notice.
“Our community has been very receptive to self-isolation and quarantine guidelines so far,” Urbantke said at her regular press briefing on Tuesday afternoon. “I have put this order in place to give the health unit another tool at our disposal to ensure the same level of compliance can continue.
“This is a proactive measure.”
She said the order is not in response to any recent incidents of people not following public health instructions.
“If issues with residents not following directions occur in the future, we would have the ability to act swiftly in our enforcement efforts,” said Urbantke, adding that many neighbouring jurisdictions have similar orders in place.
The order covers the mandatory self-isolation or quarantine of individuals diagnosed with COVID-19, who have the signs and symptoms of COVID-19 and are awaiting test results and those who have reasonable grounds to believe they have symptoms of COVID-19. It also covers those who are a close contact with those residents who have been diagnosed or have reason to believe they have symptoms.
The order applies to all residents of Brantford and Brant County. Those who fail to follow the requirements can be charged and fined up to $5,000 per day.
Meanwhile, updated figures provided Tuesday by the health unit show there are now six local local positive cases of COVID-19. One of the active cases is related to the recently announced outbreak among workers at Fernlea Flowers in Norfolk County.
The figures show five of the six people who have tested positive are self-isolating, while one is in hospital. One more positive case of COVID-19 has since been resolved, the health unit said.
Overall, 141 people have tested positive for COVID-19 and, of those cases, 131 have been resolved.
There have been four COVID-19 related deaths in Brantford-Brant since the pandemic began.
The number of people tested for COVID-19 in Brantford-Brant numbered 16,947 as of Tuesday, with most of those tests (12,878) taking place at the Brant Community Healthcare System Assessment Centre. The remaining tests (4,069) being done at long-term care, retirement and group homes in Brantford-Brant.
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