What you need to know about COVID-19 in Ottawa on Tuesday, Nov. 24

Recent developments:

• Ottawa has 19more people with COVID-19.
• An update on the impact of COVID-19 on Ottawa'sdiverse communities is underway.

What's the latest?

Ottawa has19newly confirmed COVID-19 cases today.

Ottawa Public Health (OPH) is among the groups holdinga 1 p.m. ET news conference about the impact of the pandemic on the city's diversecommunities.

How many cases are there?

As of Tuesday, 8,231 people had tested positive for COVID-19 in Ottawa. There are 323known active cases,7,540cases now considered resolved and 368people who have died ofCOVID-19.

Public health officials have reported more than 13,300 COVID-19 cases across eastern Ontario and western Quebec, including more than 11,900 resolved cases.

Eighty-eight people have died ofCOVID-19elsewhere in eastern Ontario, along with 76 in western Quebec.

CBC Ottawa is profiling those who've died of COVID-19. If you'd like to share your loved one's story, please get in touch.

What can I do?

Both Ontario and Quebec are telling people tolimit close contact only to those they live with, or one other home if people live alone,to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Travel from one region to anotherdiscouraged throughout the Outaouais. Ontario says people shouldn't travel to a lower-level region from a higher oneand some lower-level health units want residents tostay put to curb the spread.

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Canadas chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, says it's clear that Christmas this year is not going to be like other years. She recommends against any gatherings but has some advice if people choose to forgo the public health guidelines.

Ottawa iscurrently in the orange zone of the provincial pandemic scale, which allows organized gatheringsand restaurants, gyms and theatres tobring people inside.

Ottawa's medical officer of health Dr. Vera Etcheshas said Ottawa's situation is stable and peopleshould focus on managingrisks and takingprecautions, such as seeing a few friends outside at a distance, to bring the spread down further.

Communities in the Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington(KFL&A)and Eastern Ontario health unitshavebeen moved to yellow.

That means restaurant hours,capacity and tablelimits and other rules between orange Ottawa andthe rest of eastern Ontario, which is green.

In Gatineauand the surrounding area,which is one of Quebec's red zones, health officials are asking residents not to leave home unless it's essential.

Indoor dining atrestaurants remainsprohibited andgyms, cinemas and performing arts venues are all closed.

The rest of western Quebec is orange, which allows private gatherings of up to six people and organized ones up to 25 with more in seated venues.

Last week,Quebec announced what it will take to have a small holiday gathering next month. Rules won't be loosened until mid-January at the earliest.

What about schools?

There have been about 200 schools in the wider Ottawa-Gatineau region with a confirmed case of COVID-19:

• Conseil des coles catholiques du Centre-Est
• Conseil des coles publiques de l'Est de l'Ontario
• Ottawa-Carleton District School Board
• Ottawa Catholic School Board

Few have had outbreaks, which are declared by a health unit in Ontario when there's a reasonable chance someone who has tested positive caught COVID-19 during a school activity.

WATCH | Concerns about safety atcole secondaire publique Omer-Deslauriers:

Ottawa parents demand answers after COVID-19 school outbreak

4 years ago

Duration 1:06

Youcef Fouzar, a representative with the schools parent council, says he worries about continuing to send his children to cole secondaire publique Omer-Deslauriers after numerous COVID-19 cases were identified at the school.

Distancing and isolating

The novel coronavirus primarily spreads through droplets when an infected person coughs, sneezes, breathes or speaks onto someone or something. These droplets can hang in the air.

People can be contagious without symptoms.

This means people should take precautions such as staying home when sick, keeping hands and frequently touched surfaces clean, socializing outdoors as much as possible and maintaining distance from anyone they don't live with even with a mask on.

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Ontario has abandoned its concept of social circles.

Masks aremandatory in indoor public settings in Ontarioand Quebec and should be wornoutdoors when people can't distance from others. Three-layer non-medical masks with a filterare recommended.

Anyone with COVID-19 symptoms should self-isolate, as should those who've beenordered to do so by their local public health unit. The durationdepends on the circumstances in both Ontario and Quebec.

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

Anyone who has travelled recently outside Canadamust go straight home and stay there for 14 days.

What are the symptoms of COVID-19?

COVID-19can 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 pink eye. Children can develop a rash.

If you have severe symptoms, call 911.

Mental health can also be affected by the pandemic and resources are available to help.

Where to get tested

In eastern Ontario:

Ontario recommends only getting tested if you have symptoms, or if you've been told to by your health unit or the province.

Anyone seeking a test should now book an appointment. Different sites in the area have different ways to book, including over the phone or going in person to get a time slot.

People without symptoms, but who are part of the province's targeted testing strategy,can make an appointment at select pharmacies.

Ottawa hasnine permanent test sites, with additional mobile sites deployed wherever demand is particularly high. A test siteopensat the McNabbCommunity Centre today.

Kingston's test site is at the Beechgrove Complex. The area's other test site is in Napanee.

The Eastern Ontario Health Unit has sites in Alexandria, Cornwall, Hawkesbury, Limoges, Rockland and Winchester.

The Leeds, Grenville and Lanark health unit has permanent sites in Almonte, Brockville, Kemptville and Smiths Falls and a mobile test site visitingsmaller communities.

People canarrange a test in Bancroft and Picton by calling the centre or Belleville and Trenton online.

Renfrew County residents should call their family doctor or 1-844-727-6404 for a test or with questions, COVID-19-related or not. Test clinic locations are posted weekly.

In western Quebec:

Tests are strongly recommended for people with symptoms or who have been in contact with someone with symptoms.

Outaouais residents can make an appointment in Gatineau seven days a week at 135 blvd. Saint-Raymond or 617 avenue Buckingham.

They can now check the approximate wait time for the Saint-Raymond site.

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

Call 1-877-644-4545 with questions, including if walk-in testing is available nearby.

First Nations, Inuit and Mtis:

Akwesasnehas had its most knownCOVID-19 cases of the pandemic this month, with 22 and counting in its Ontario portionand more on the American side of the border.Its councilis asking residents to avoid unnecessary travel.

Akwesasneschools are temporarily closed to in-person learning and its Tsi Snaihne Child Care Centre has also closed. Ithas a 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.

The Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte reported its first confirmed case this month.

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

Anyone in Tyendinaga who's interested in a test can call 613-967-3603.

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.

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.