The Middlesex-London Health Unit reported six new cases of the novel coronavirus on Friday, bringing the total to 11.
The health unit says those who’ve tested positive for the illness are self-isolating and staff will be following up with their close contacts to advise them to self-isolate for the next 14 days.
According to the health unit, investigations so far suggest that not all cases are directly associated with travel, which suggests community transmission within the region.
“We absolutely need people to keep up those physical distancing measures,” said medical officer of health Dr. Chris Mackie.
“The safest thing to do is to stay home to stay safe. At the same time, social connection is important too in this difficult time — so we need to find creative ways of building social connection while maintaining a physical distance of at least six feet apart.”
In a statement from the health unit, officials also emphasize avoiding non-essential gatherings “of any size” and ask anyone with symptoms like fever, new or worsening cough, or difficulty breathing to self-isolate.
Health unit officials have not released further details about the six new cases.
In an update issued at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Western University said one of the six new cases involved a student from its campus community.
The update added that the university has carefully planned for this type of scenario.
“We are coordinating closely with the MLHU to ensure the student is receiving appropriate care and that proper precautions are being taken to minimize the risk of transmission,” said the update from Western.