Niagara's top doctor says Ford's new capacity limits don't go far enough.
Niagara's Acting Medical Officer of Health says he thinks the new capacity limits announced by Premier Doug Ford yesterday won't be enough to contain the spread of the Omicron variant.
We spoke to Dr. Mustafa Hirji, who noted he was "disappointed" that the announcement only applied to large venues with a capacity of 1,000 or more.
"I think unfortunately, with what we're seeing in the modelling, we do need capacity limits brought back to all sorts of public places, restaurants, gyms, cinemas...so we can slow the spread of the variant."
While Niagara doesn't have any laboratory-confirmed cases of the strain, Hirji notes that several screenings show the variant could be here already.
Hirji also said due to the rapid spread of the strain, he agrees with the Science Advisory Table's recommendation that residents cut social contacts in half as the booster campaign ramps up.
"This variant spread extremely fast. We're talking 3,4 or more times faster than the Delta variant. And it's going to spread through our society very quickly. So if we can cut down the number of social contacts we have, that will slow who's going to get sick from it."
As the Christmas holiday approaches, Hirji has some tips on how to help families celebrate safely.
He recommends keeping gatherings to no more than ten people, and keeping celebrations to people who are double dosed.
Hirji also advises making sure children have at least one dose by Christmas, and to consider wearing masks if you're celebrating with people you don't live with.
The full interview can be heard below.
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