Health officials recommend closing all daycares, bars, restaurants

TORONTO - Ontario health officials are recommending the closure of all daycares and dine-in bars and restaurants to help impede the spread of the new coronavirus.

In a news conference on March 16, Chief Medical Officer Dr. David Williams recommended there be no gatherings of over 50 people, which also includes private schools, church services and theatres.

The bar/restaurant recommendation does not apply to delivery/takeout service.

Already on March 16, some Wellington County businesses were posting closure notices.

The latest recommendations will add to an already-massive list of local closures.

Health officials stated they "cannot rule out community transmission" of COVID-19 and have recommended those not showing signs of the new coronavirus practice social distancing.

On March 16, Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health announced the region had its first positive COVID-19 case. A man in his 40s tested positive at Headwaters Health Care Centre in Orangeville after returning from Atlanta, Georgia and is now in self-isolation.

Officials stressed they are trying to contain the spread of COVID-19, though most cases in the province are relatively mild.