Chatham-Kent's Medical Officer of Health is asking local residents to stay calm in regards to the COVID-19 outbreak.
On Friday, Dr. David Colby issued a local state of emergency, which allows staff to be redeployed to assist where and when necessary.
As of Monday morning, there are currently no cases of COVID-19 in Chatham-Kent, but Dr. Colby wants residents to take their advice on social distancing seriously.
"Now is not the time to gather in groups, it's not the time to throw big parties and banquets," Dr. Colby said Monday. "It's the time to stay home if possible, and try and blunt the surge of cases that we fear is coming."
Social distancing measures (keeping a distance from others by at least one metre), especially school closures, before the virus spreads in the community have been shown to be one of the most powerful interventions to slow the spread of disease.
If you think you have COVID-19, stay home.
"Stay home is the most important thing, and only seek medical attention if you're so sick that you need help," said Dr. Colby. "Cause the biggest danger right now is overwhelming our medical system. The vast majority of people that are infected with this virus will have mild respiratory symptoms. It's the tiny minority, if this happens in large enough numbers, that are very ill that can overwhelm the system."
Dr. Colby said most COVID-19 cases have been linked to someone who has travelled abroad, but that is changing.
"We're starting to see cases that are not linked to that," said Colby. "That's when things can get really out of hand when they start spreading in the community."
Any residents with questions on the above measures, or any other questions regarding COVID-19 are asked to visit www.ckpublichealth.com/covid19 or email covid19@chatham-kent.ca.