COVID-19: Guelph’s top doc orders remote work where reasonably possible

Guelph’s medical officer of health has ordered all employees to work from home where reasonably possible, starting Monday.

Dr. Nicola Mercer made the announcement Thursday in response to growing COVID-19 cases caused by the Omicron variant.

Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health reported the first local case of the variant on Dec. 10.

“Since that first case, multiple cases of Omicron have been confirmed … resulting in schools closing and moving to online learning, and isolation of youth hockey teams,” Mercer said.

As of Thursday, five schools in Guelph have closed ahead of the winter break.

Mercer added that Omicron appears to have already become the dominant strain of the virus in Ontario.

“With the growing presence of the Omicron variant, now is the time to protect our progress,” she said.

“As we enter the holiday season with a rising case count, we must take action and utilize proven public health measures such as limiting social interactions to ensure our schools remain open and we limit the strain on our local businesses during one of their most important times of the year.”

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Mercer’s instructions direct those responsible for a business or organization to have their employees shift back to working from home unless the nature of their work requires them to be on-site.

For those who can’t work remotely, Mercer is asking businesses to limit the gathering of staff by utilizing virtual meetings, ensuring physical distancing in lunchrooms and staggering breaks.

“At this time I cannot provide you with an ‘end-date’ for these instructions,” Mercer said.

“My current expectation, in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health, is that they will be in place over the holiday season. It is not possible at this time to account for the potential impact of the Omicron variant of concern, about which much is currently being learned.”

Failure to comply with these regulations could result in fines, she said.