Travellers returning to Canada continue to constitute a large portion of the number of positive coronavirus tests in the region, Waterloo Public Health said.
“One trend we have noticed in the past few weeks is there has been an increase in travel-related cases. Travel-related cases made up 18 per cent of new confirmed cases of COVID in July in Waterloo Region,” Dr. Ryan Van Meer, a physician with Waterloo Public Health, told regional council Tuesday.
That trend has continued to rise in August as Waterloo Public Health has announced 21 new cases this month, with more than a quarter (six) of those cases being attributed to travel.
The travellers are not just returning from the U.S., although our neighbours to the south do top the list of places responsible for the July cases.
“The most common country to travel to was the U.S., with seven cases, followed by five cases returning from India, and one each from the United Kingdom, Nicaragua and Pakistan,” he said.
Dr. Van Der Meer says that residents should remain cautious about travelling abroad.
“This serves as an important reminder that travel outside of Canada continues to pose a risk of exposure to COVID-19, and the Government of Canada continues to advise against nonessential travel outside of Canada,” he said.
Three new cases of COVID-19 were reported on Tuesday although none has yet been attributed to travel.
We have now seen a total of 1,406 cases in Waterloo Region since the pandemic began with just 60 attributed to travel outside of Canada.