What you need to know about COVID-19 in Ottawa on Tuesday, Sept. 8

Recent developments:

• Ottawa logged 36 newly confirmed COVID-19 casesTuesday, continuing a trend of high daily case counts.
• About 200 students and staff at 5 French Catholic schools in Ottawahave been told to isolatedue to potential exposure to COVID-19.
• COVID-19 has closed theOttawa Athletic Club after more than fourdecades in business.
• Anoutbreak at an Ottawa nursing homehas spread to 28 residents and three staff.
• Quebec has revealeda new regional COVID-19 alert system.

What's the latest?

Ottawa Public Health (OPH) reported another daily spike in COVID-19 cases Tuesday, with 36 new and only five resolved, driving the city's active case count up to 242. Half of Tuesday's new cases are people over the age of 60.

The city's medical officer of health says about 190 students and 10 staff at fiveFrench Catholic schools have been toldto self-isolate because of possibleexposure to COVID-19 aboard school buses.

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Vera Etches, Ottawas medical officer of health, says officials are asking so many students to self-isolate because its unclear whether physical distancing rules were properly followed on the buses in question.

A long-term care facility in Ottawa's west end is dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak involving more than two dozen residents and staff members. Twenty-eight residents and three employees have now tested positive for COVID-19 at Extendicare West End Villa on Elmira Drive.

Quebec has revealedanew COVID-19 alert systemthat will use colours to indicate the severity of the pandemic in Quebec's different regions.

The Outaouais is yellow, meaning there are some early signs of potential trouble that will soon trigger a follow-up call with local health officials and the province.

A sprawling recreation complex in Ottawa's east end has become the latest business to fall victim to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For 44 years, the Ottawa Athletic Club on Lancaster Roadhas offered tennis, swimming, golf lessons, fitness classes, summer camps and other recreational activities. Friday is its last day of operation.

How many cases are there?

There have been 3,134confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa since the start of the pandemic. As of Monday, there were 242 known active cases, 2,625 cases considered resolvedand267 deaths related to the illness.

Overall, public health officials have reported more than 4,800 cases across eastern Ontario and western Quebec, with more than 4,000 cases consideredresolved.

COVID-19 has killed 104people in the region outside Ottawa: 52 people have died in Leeds, Grenville and Lanark counties, 34in the Outaouais and 18in other parts of eastern Ontario.

What's open and closed?

Five local boards are opening buildings today, meaning all but the Upper Canada District School Board have started bringing students back.

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A new Ontario rule formally removes time limits on caregiver visits to long-term care homes as of today, andeight Ottawa arenas areavailable again for rentals.

Also today: rue Jacques-Cartier in Gatineauand the Queen Elizabeth Driveway (on weekdays) arenow reopento vehicles.

The driveway will close to vehicles on weekends the rest of the month.

Ontariois in Stage 3 of its reopening plan, which means more businesses are open including dine-in restaurants and movie theatres.

Indoor gatherings of up to 50 people and outdoor gatherings of up to 100 are now allowed in that province but attendees must follow physical distancing guidelines.

Kingston, Ont., has tightened its distancing rules in city parksand closed the Breakwater Park beach because of what the city says has been risky behaviour.

Quebec has similar reopening rulesto Ontario, with its cap on physically distanced gatherings in public venues now up to 250 people, allowing smaller festivals.

PR Transpo transit service in Prescott-Russell resumes Monday.

Distancing and isolating

The novel coronavirus primarily spreads through droplets when an infected person coughs, sneezes, breathes or speaks onto someone or something.

People don't need to have symptoms to be contagious.

That means physical distancing measures such as working from home, meeting others outdoors as much as possible and keeping distance from anyone you don't live with or have in their circle, including when you have a mask on.

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Masks are now mandatory in indoor public settings in all of eastern Ontario and Quebec, including transit services and taxisin some areas.

Masks are also recommended outdoors when you can't stay the proper distance from others.

Anyone who has travelled recently outside Canada must go straight home and stay there for14 days.

In Ontario, that's the same period of self-isolation for anyone with symptoms. When self-isolating, only leave home or see other people if it's critically important, such as to go see a doctor.

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Most people with a confirmed COVID-19 case in Quebec can end their self-isolation after 10 days if they have not had a fever for at least 48 hours and has had no other symptom for at least 24 hours.

Health Canada recommends older adults and people with underlying medical conditions and/or weakened immune systems stay home as much as possible.

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What are the symptoms of COVID-19?

COVID-19 can range from a cold-like illness to a severe lung infection, with common symptoms including fever, a cough, vomiting and the loss of taste or smell.

Less common symptoms include chills, headaches and pinkeye. Children can develop a rash.

People should not get tested any sooner than five days afterpotential exposure, since it takes approximately five days for the virus to grow to levels where it's detectable by a test, said Ottawa's medical officer of health Vera Etches in early September.

If you have severe symptoms, call 911.

Where to get tested

In eastern Ontario:

In Ottawa any resident who feels they need a test, even if they are not showing symptoms,can be tested at one of four sites including a new drive-thru testing centre.

Inuit in Ottawa can call the Akausivik Inuit Family Health Team at 613-740-0999 for service, including testing, in Inuktitut or English on weekdays.

In the Eastern Ontario Health Unit area, there is a drive-thru centre in Casselmanand assessment centres in Hawkesbury and Winchester that don't require people to call ahead.

Others in Alexandria, Rockland and Cornwall require an appointment.

In Kingston, the Leon's Centre is hosting the city's test site. Find it at Gate 2.

Napanee's test centre is open daily for people who call ahead.

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You can arrange a test in Bancroft, Belleville or Trenton by calling the centre and in Picton by texting or calling. Only Belleville and Trenton run seven days a week.

The Leeds, Grenville and Lanark unit asks you to get tested if you have a symptom or concerns about exposure.

It has a walk-in site in Brockville at the Memorial Centre and testing sites in Smiths Falls and Almonte which require an appointment.

Renfrew County residents should call their family doctor and those without access to a family doctor can call 1-844-727-6404 to register for a test or if they have health questions, COVID-19-related or not.

It's testing insix communities this week with an appointment.

In western Quebec:

Outaouais residents now can get a walk-in test in Gatineau seven days a week at 135 blvd. Saint-Raymond.

There are recurring clinics by appointment in communities such as Gracefield, Val-des-Monts and Fort-Coulonge.

They can call 1-877-644-4545 to make an appointment or if they have other questions.

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First Nations:

Akwesasne has had 14 confirmed COVID-19 cases. Most are linked back to a gathering on an island with a non-resident who wasn't showing symptoms at the time.

It has a mobile COVID-19 test site available by appointment only. Anyone returning to the community on the Canadian side of the international border who's been farther than 160 kilometres away or visited Montreal for non-essential reasons is asked to self-isolate for 14 days.

Anyone in Tyendinaga who's interested in a test can call 613-967-3603 to talk to a nurse.Its office and well-being centre will be open by appointment, with bookings startingSept. 14.

People in Pikwakanagan can book an appointment for a COVID-19 test by calling 613-625-2259.

Kitigan Zibi's fitness centre and playground park are opening up with restrictions..

For more information

• Ottawa Public Health.
• Your local eastern Ontario health unit.
• The Ontario Ministry of Health (in several languages).
• The Centre intgr de sant et de services sociaux de l'Outaouais.
• The Public Health Agency of Canada.