A Hamilton bar on the Mountain near Albion Falls says a customer that visited its facility on Saturday night has tested positive for COVID-19.
In an Instagram post on Monday, Cause and Effect kitchen and bar said the alleged infected patron was at the business between 8 p.m. and midnight on Saturday, July 25.
“We have had a professional company sanitizing our restaurant with an Electrostatic disinfectant and will continue to do so until this virus is gone,” the bar said in its post.
The establishment went on to say that it had adopted recommend coronavirus protocols from public health and that staff are wearing masks and practicing proper sanitation.
“We are a small business, we have brought in professionals to help with social distancing and we have been following the rules for stage 2 and stage 3 opening,” the bar said on Instagram.
Several images and videos posted online, alleged to have been from the restaurant, appear to show several moments of little physical distancing amid the continuing coronavirus crisis.
Comments on the posts from some include, “That doesn’t look like distancing. How did this happen?” and, “It is unbelievable how poorly this place is handling things.”
Shay from Hamilton who goes by the handle Bubbly_Schedule8581 who took the video on Saturday night arrived at the bar just before midnight and alleges that patrons were moving around freely and not wearing masks.
“People were merging from tables and tables. The sidewalk in between Fionn’s and Cause and Effect was just as busy and their patio was also packed. Felt very uncomfortable being there.”
Hamilton public health told Global News that they have inspected the restaurant and can confirm that they have “educated” the bar on safe COVID-19 operations protocol.
Hamilton’s entry into Stage 3 of the province’s COVID-19 reopening plan began on Friday.
The directive means most businesses and public spaces will now be able to open with “appropriate health and safety measures in place,” according to Public Health Ontario.
The move does allow social gathering limits to increase to a maximum of 50 people indoors, and 100 outdoors.
However, not included in the reopening were: restaurants and bars with dancing, large amusement parks, buffets, and karaoke rooms.
Hamilton reports no new COVID-19 cases, 1 new death
On Monday, Hamilton public health reported no new COVID-19 cases but did report one more death connected to the coronavirus.
The city says the death was in the community and was a 48-year-old woman who passed away in hospital on Saturday.
Hamilton has 45 total coronavirus-related deaths with 34 connected to an institutional outbreak.
The city’s overall case count since the pandemic began stands at 887, with 878 confirmed and nine probable.
The city says there have been 11 positive cases in the last 10 days with 7 new cases under the age of 30.
The city has no institutional outbreaks. On Monday, the city declared the outbreak at the Community Living Hamilton-Mountain Residence over.
Niagara Region reports 5 new COVID-19 cases
Niagara public health officials reported five new coronavirus cases on Monday. The region now has 833 total cases, with 62 of them active.
The region has no new deaths. To date, 64 people have died in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The region has four institutional outbreaks including Garden City Manor, Linhaven and Tabor Manor long-term care homes in St. Catharines. There’s also an outbreak at the Eventide Home on Jepson Street in Niagara Falls.
Halton Region with two new COVID-19 cases, 29 active cases
Halton Region says it has 29 active COVID-19 cases as of Monday. The region reported two new cases on July 27 putting the regions total number of cases up to 909. Eighty-three of the cases are probable.
The region still has 25 deaths tied to COVID-19 as of July 27, with 12 the result of an outbreak at an institution.
The region has no institutional outbreaks.
Haldimand-Norfolk reports four new COVID-19 cases
Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit (HNHU) added four new COVID-19 cases to its overall total of 455 lab-confirmed, positive cases as of Monday.
Officials say 395 of those patients have since recovered, and there are 28 active cases as of July 27.
The region has 32 COVID-19-connected deaths with 27 tied to residents at Anson Place Care Centre, a nursing home, in Hagersville.
On Monday, Haldimand County council approved a by-law requiring face coverings in enclosed public spaces. Exceptions include children under 10 and individuals with medical conditions.
The by-law, which aligns with the Haldimand-Norfolk Medical Officer of Health’s recommendations, takes effect on August 1.
Brant County reports no new COVID-19 cases
Brant County’s health unit (BCHU) reported no new COVID-19 cases on Monday. The region has 139 total confirmed cases as of July 27.
The county still has four deaths, with 128 total resolved cases. There is one COVID-19 patient currently in hospital among the five remaining active cases.
The region has no institutional outbreaks.
Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out. In situations where you can’t keep a safe distance from others, public health officials recommend the use of a non-medical face mask or covering to prevent spreading the respiratory droplets that can carry the virus. In some provinces and municipalities across the country, masks or face coverings are now mandatory in indoor public spaces.
For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.
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