Coronavirus FAQs

What are the current gathering limits for public events and social gatherings? 

Ontario is currently in Step Three of the Roadmap to Reopen. Social gatherings are allowed as follows:

• Maximum 100 people for outdoor gatherings
• Maximum 25 people for indoor gatherings
• Indoor and outdoor dining with capacity limited to permit physical distancing of two metres; no limits on the number of people per table
• Indoor sports and recreational events open with spectators permitted at a maximum capacity of 50% or 1,000 people (whichever is less) with restrictions in place

• Outdoor sports and recreational events open for unseated events with spectators permitted at a maximum capacity of 75% or 5,000 people (whichever is less) with restrictions in place

For more information visit Reopening Ontario.

Do I need to practice physical distancing at a social gathering?

Yes, maintaining physical distance of at least two metres between yourself and anyone outside of your household is required.

For more information visit Reopening Ontario.

Who do I contact to report large gatherings?

Visit our who to contact page to find out who to contact depending on your concern. 

How do I celebrate holidays safely?

Visit the Government of Ontario's web page about how to celebrate safely during COVID-19.

Practice physical distancing (also known as social distancing). Stay at home. Avoid non-essential trips and keep a distance of 2 metres between yourself and others when you are out. 

You can prevent the spread of germs and viruses, like COVID-19, if you:

• Wash your hands often with warm water and soap or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer
• Wear a face covering
• Avoid contact with people who are sick
• Stay home when you are sick
• Sneeze and cough into your elbow or use a tissue to cover your mouth and nose (and wash your hands after)
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth
• Avoid closed, poorly ventilated spaces

Avoid large gatherings. Postpone or cancel large gatherings. This includes sporting events, conferences, meetings, religious or social gatherings, festivals, markets or other similar events. 

All residents of Waterloo Region are advised to stay at home unless absolutely necessary for essential reasons and to practice physical distancing to reduce exposure to other people.

In multi-unit residential buildings, such as condos or apartment buildings, the number of people in shared areas (e.g. hallways, elevators, mail areas and laundry rooms) should be limited to maintain physical distancing.

The Face Covering By-law requires face coverings to be worn in all common areas of a multi-residential building in the Region of Waterloo. 

Residents who are in self-isolation should only leave their unit to seek medical attention. If you need to leave your unit, avoid communal areas as much as possible. You may use a private balcony while in self-isolation.

Visit Resources for tenants and landlords for more information.

All Waterloo Region residents should consider COVID-19 to be widely circulating in the community.

• Stay home and only go out for essential purposes such as:
• Going to work (work from home, where possible)
• Going to school
• Getting groceries
• Keeping medical appointments
• Exercising outdoors

Returning travellers

The Government of Canada has put in place an Emergency Order under the Quarantine Act that applies to all travellers arriving in Canada in order to slow the spread of COVID-19. All travellers returning from destinations outside of Canada are required to self-isolate for 14 days. 

Stay at home and avoid close contact with others, including others at home, for 14 days. Do not go to work, the grocery store or on walks. Exemptions may apply for certain groups, such as health care workers.

If you develop any symptoms use the self-assessment tool. For schools and child care centres, use the COVID-19 school and child care screening tool.

The screening tool will help determine if you need to seek care, or testing, based on your symptoms.  

Symptoms but have not travelled

If you have any symptoms use the self-assessment tool. For schools and child care centres, use the COVID-19 school and child care screening tool. The screening tool will help determine if you need to seek care, or testing, based on your symptoms. Follow the instructions in the tool. 

You do not need a referral from a primary care provider or Public Health to access testing. All the assessment centres take self-referrals.

If you are experiencing symptoms, you must self-isolate at home while awaiting your test results or until you meet the criteria provided in the tool if you do not require testing. You will be advised to continue self-isolation depending on your test result, your exposure, travel history and/or as directed by Public Health.

In Waterloo Region wearing a face covering in enclosed public places and on transit is required by the Face Covering By-law and/or the Code of Use By-law.

Face coverings are an additional tool to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Even if you have no symptoms a face covering can help contain your own respiratory droplets when you talk, cough, or sneeze. For more information visit our Face Coverings page. 

Is there a risk associated with receiving packages from outside Canada?

Coronaviruses generally do not survive on surfaces after being contaminated. The risk of spread from products shipped over a period of days or weeks at room temperature is very low.

There is no known risk of coronaviruses entering Canada on parcels or packages.

Review Reopening Ontario Roadmap for information about businesses that can open and relevant restrictions.

Visit Coronavirus resources for workplaces for more information about keeping your workplace safe.

Does the new gathering limit apply to businesses?

Ontario is currently in Step Three of the Roadmap to Reopen. Further details can be found in the Reopening Ontario Roadmap and Step 3 Regulations.

I have travelled, where can I apply for compassionate entry and limited release from quarantine?

Every person entering Canada, with limited exceptions, must quarantine for 14 days, starting on the day of arrival. Travellers entering Canada may seek approval from the Government of Canada for an exemption from border restrictions and a limited release from mandatory quarantine for compassionate reasons. Before your trip to Canada, you must receive advance approval for both the exemption to the border restrictions and a limited release from quarantine.

For information and the form to apply, please visit Compassionate entry for travellers and limited release from quarantine on the Government of Canada’s website. Please note that local public health units have no role in this process.

Where can I get tested if I am travelling internationally?

Effective December 11, per provincial policy, you will no longer be able to get a publicly-funded COVID-19 test for international travel.

COVID-19 tests for travellers are available through private providers for a fee. Please note: Region of Waterloo Public Health does not maintain a listing of private laboratory services.

For more information about the change, read Ontario Updates Testing Guidelines for Outbound International Travellers.  

If you have been in contact with someone who is sick or who has tested positive for coronavirus, use the self-assessment tool. For schools and child care centres, use the COVID-19 school and child care screening tool. The screening tool will help determine if you need to seek care, or testing, based on your symptoms. Follow the instructions in the tool. 

You do not need a referral from a primary care provider or Public Health to access testing. All the assessment centres take self-referrals.

If you are experiencing symptoms, you must self-isolate at home while awaiting your test results or until you meet the criteria provided in the tool if you do not require testing. You will be advised to continue self-isolation depending on your test result, your exposure, travel history and/or as directed by Public Health.

Visit COVID-19 assessment and testing centres in Waterloo Region page for more information about testing.

Visit COVID-19 assessment and testing centres in Waterloo Region page for more information about testing.

Refer to the ‘Tested! Now What?’ handout.

If you do not have symptoms of COVID-19 and have completed your self-isolation requirements, you do not need to receive a negative test before returning to work or school (unless otherwise directed by Public Health).

For most cases, the self-isolation requirements can be found on our COVID-19 Tested! Now What? handout.

If an individual was exposed to a COVID-19 positive person, and they are fully vaccinated with no symptoms, Public Health will inform your when you need to go for testing. You do not need to self-isolate. 

If you have any symptoms use the self-assessment tool. For schools and child care centres, use the COVID-19 school and child care screening tool. The screening tool will help determine if you need to seek care, or testing, based on your symptoms. Follow the instructions in the tool. 

You do not need a referral from a primary care provider or Public Health to access testing. All the assessment centres take self-referrals.

If you are experiencing symptoms, you must self-isolate at home while awaiting your test results or until you meet the criteria provided in the tool if you do not require testing. You will be advised to continue self-isolation depending on your test result, your exposure, travel history and/or as directed by Public Health.

If someone in my house is self-isolating or getting tested, do all household members need to self-isolate?  

For most cases, the self-isolation requirements can be found on our COVID-19 Tested! Now What? handout.

Will someone contact me if I had contact with someone who tested positive for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)?

Public Health will contact everyone who tests positive for having COVID-19.

Public Health will continue to notify contacts of positive cases for higher risk situations such as outbreaks, and for the following settings:

• long-term care, retirement homes and congregate care
• health care
• home care
• emergency services
• schools and daycares

You may be contacted by your employer, someone who has tested positive, or the COVID Alert app. If you are notified that you have had contact with someone who has tested positive, self-isolate and seek testing. 

No, if you are in self-isolation do not go outside for a walk, run, bike ride etc. You can go outside into your own backyard or property but ensure you stay away from public and shared spaces. If you live in an apartment or condo building, avoid communal areas such as hallways, elevators, stairwells and laundry rooms. Only leave your place of isolation to seek medical attention.

If you are self-isolating and need to get groceries or other essential items, you can ask a friend, neighbour or family member to buy your items and drop them off on your doorstep. Many grocery stores are also now offering delivery services. If you have a need for emergency food, please contact the Food Bank of Waterloo Region.

A PCR test detects the virus’s genetic material to determine whether COVID-19 is present. These tests are done at local assessment centres and analyzed in the Provincial lab network. The results are highly accurate, and take one day or up to a few days to receive results, depending on the Provincial lab capacity at the time the test is taken. Anyone experiencing symptoms, as well as anyone who is a close contact of a confirmed case, should isolate and be tested with a PCR test at a local assessment centre.

A rapid antigen test looks for specific proteins from the virus to determine whether COVID-19 is present. The tests can be done in various locations, and results may be available in less than an hour, depending on the test used. Antigen tests are not as sensitive as PCR tests at detecting an infection and false negatives are more common. It’s important that those with a negative antigen test who develop symptoms or become a close contact of a case isolate and get tested with a PCR test at an assessment centre. Someone who has screened positive with a rapid antigen test would also need to be tested again and have their result confirmed by a PCR test. Antigen tests are being used in various locations in the Province in the context of frequent, regular asymptomatic screening, like workplaces and long-term care homes.  

What is the COVID Alert app?

The COVID Alert app notifies you with an alert on your phone if you may have been exposed to the virus and then gives you advice on what to do next. The app also lets others know if you test positive without sharing any personal information.

The app is voluntary: The more people who use it, the more effective we will be at stopping the spread of COVID-19.

The app is available for iOS and Android. You can download it on the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store.

The app does not use GPS or track your location. Your privacy is protected.

Visit the Government of Canada’s website for help with COVID Alert.

COVID Alert is just one part of the public health effort to limit the spread of COVID-19. The app does not replace manual contact tracing by Region of Waterloo Public Health. The app helps with Public Health’s existing contact tracing efforts by quickly identifying new contacts.  

The more people who use the app, the more effective we will be at stopping the spread of COVID-19.

More information can be found on the Government of Ontario’s website for what to do if you’ve been exposed to COVID-19.

What is the safe, voluntary isolation program?

The Safe Voluntary Isolation Site is a safe place for you to stay to help you rest and recover, and to reduce the spread of COVID-19 within your home and in the community. There are no costs to you to stay at the isolation site. The site is private and welcoming, with many comforts of home. It is a hotel, not a medical setting.

If you need a space to isolate to protect yourself or others from COVID-19, consider applying for the isolation site.

Visit the Safe Voluntary Isolation Site webpage for more information.

You are eligible to use the isolation site if you:

• Need to isolate to protect yourself or others from COVID-19; and
• Cannot safely isolate in your own home; and
• Are a resident of Waterloo Region; and
• Do not require onsite medical support.

There are other isolation programs available:

• If you are experiencing homelessness - contact Housing Helpline (519-624-9133)
• If you are returning from international travel - visit the Federal Quarantine Sites webpage.

If you are eligible, you can apply by:

• Completing the online form; OR
• Calling the isolation site team: 226-753-3089.

Visit the Safe Voluntary Isolation Site webpage for more information.

Three variants have been detected around the world:

• The United Kingdom (UK) variant, called B.1.1.7 is the most common variant worldwide at this time, and has been detected in Canada and is the one we have now seen locally. 
• A South African variant called 1.351 that has recently been detected in Ontario. 
• A Brazilian variant called P.1, that has now also recently been detected in Ontario.

Experts are studying how the virus is changing by understanding the genetic make-up of the virus. This will help us understand how changes to the virus might affect how it spreads and what happens to people who are infected with it.

Early data suggests that the United Kingdom variant likely spreads more easily. There is no evidence at this time that it is associated with a reduction in vaccine efficacy. 

Following public health measures is the best way to protect ourselves and loved ones against the spread of COVID-19, including variants of concern:

• Avoid social gatherings with those outside your immediate household
• Limit non-essential trips outside your home
• Practice physical distancing
• Wear a face covering
• Wash your hands often
• Avoid enclosed, poorly ventilated spaces and crowded places

Stay home when you are sick, isolate from household members and schedule an appointment for testing.

There are COVID-19 variants of concern (VOCs) currently circulating. There is evidence that all three variants may be easier to transmit. Some variants may have an increased risk of death or reinfection, and some may respond to vaccines differently. To slow community spread of COVID-19 variants, the Ministry of Health has directed public health units to do contact tracing for all cases.

Case and Contact Management may inform you that a variant of concern was detected in your test result. At this time, Region of Waterloo Public Health may not know which exact variant you may have. It can take up to eight weeks for the lab to complete a full gene sequencing testing to determine which variant of concern you may have.

Please contact your family doctor within 8 weeks of being tested to seek further clarification on which variant of concern was detected.

Guidance for isolation remains the same regardless if a VOC was detected in your test results.

For more information, please review COVID-19 Variant of Concern: Case, Contact and Outbreak Management Interim Guidance.

The 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a new respiratory infection first identified in Wuhan, Hubei province, China. 

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that can cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more serious respiratory infections like bronchitis, pneumonia or severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).

COVID-19 is a new coronavirus that has not been previously identified. 

Symptoms of COVID-19 range from mild - like the flu and other common respiratory infections - to severe. The most common symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath.

If you have any symptoms use the self-assessment tool. For schools and child care centres, use the COVID-19 school and child care screening tool. The screening tool will help determine if you need to seek care, or testing, based on your symptoms. Follow the instructions in the tool. 

You do not need a referral from a primary care provider or Public Health to access testing. All the assessment centres take self-referrals.

If you are experiencing symptoms, you must self-isolate at home while awaiting your test results or until you meet the criteria provided in the tool if you do not require testing. You will be advised to continue self-isolation depending on your test result, your exposure, travel history and/or as directed by Public Health.

Coronaviruses are spread mainly from person to person through close contact, for example, in a household or health care centre. 

They are most commonly spread from an infected person through:

• respiratory droplets generated when you cough or sneeze
• close, prolonged personal contact, such as touching or shaking hands
• touching something with the virus on it, then touching your mouth, nose or eyes before washing your hands

For most people, COVID-19 causes only mild illness.

Older people and those with a weakened immune system or underlying medical condition(s) are at a higher risk of developing severe disease.

Can I call Public Health if I need medical advice or medical care?

If you need immediate medical attention, call 911. Advise them of your symptoms, exposure or travel, if applicable.

Public Health does not provide individual medical advice or care. If you have questions or concerns about your general health, or questions about COVID-19 symptoms, please speak with your health care provider, walk-in clinic/urgent care centre or a local emergency room. Please speak with your health care provider or pharmacist about medication.

You may also call Telehealth Ontario 1-866-797-0000 (toll-free TTY: 1-866-797-0007) for free advice over the phone.

While COVID-19 can make anyone sick, some Canadians with specific health circumstances are at an increased risk of more severe outcomes, including individuals:

• aged 60 and over
• with compromised immune systems
• with underlying medical conditions

It is recommended that individuals in these groups stay home. More information on how older adults and people with chronic medical conditions or weakened immune systems can protect themselves from COVID-19 is available from Public Health Ontario. 

Social and economic factors may also make some groups and individuals more vulnerable to COVID-19. A list of COVID-19 Community supports is available on our website. For more information on how to support vulnerable populations during COVID-19, visit the Health Canada website. 

Since the pandemic started in March, Public Health has had to redeploy staff to manage the hundreds of calls we get from the public each day.

Some of the calls we receive are for complaints, bylaw, general information and in some cases the calls require the expertise of our nurses.

In order to handle the volume of calls, we route them accordingly. When we have calls where people say they have missed a call from a nurse for example, staff will ask for your contact information (telephone number or email address) and a nurse will follow up with you. The process depends on the nature of the call.

Sometimes calls get converted to an email for follow-up so that we can send the questions off to the appropriate area. Not all calls require a nurse for follow up.

Screening these emails allows us to determine that only those calls needing a response from a nurse are sent to them, so that their valuable time is used accordingly.

For most cases, the self-isolation requirements can be found on our COVID-19 Tested! Now What? handout.

Visit Coronavirus resources for workplaces for more information.

If you are a health worker, visit Coronavirus resources for health professionals for specific guidelines and resources. 

Where can I find information for employers about keeping the workplace safe?

Visit Coronavirus resources for workplaces for more information.

Public health measures can be implemented in the workplaces to prevent the spread of the virus causing COVID-19. Please visit the Public Health Agency of Canada website for workplace strategies on COVID-19 mitigation.

Public Health will notify a workplace and provide support when a confirmed case attended a workplace while infectious and there was a high risk exposure to COVID-19 to others.

Public Health will notify a workplace and provide support when a confirmed case attended a workplace while infectious and there was a high risk exposure to COVID-19 to others. 

Public Health will not notify workplaces that a confirmed case attended the workplace when Public Health identifies a high risk exposure to COVID-19 did not occur and there is not an increased risk to employees and patrons.

I have questions about sending my child to school. Where can I find more information?

Visit our Return to school page, which includes a list of frequently asked questions about going back to school.

Where can I find the guidelines for community gardens?

Visit our Community Gardens page for the COVID-19 guidelines for community gardens.

Can I get COVID-19 from food?

There is currently no evidence that the COVID-19 virus is spread through food. Previous outbreaks of other coronaviruses did not show that the virus could be spread through food.  

There is limited evidence on how long the virus can stay on food.  The virus survives longest on non-porous surfaces such as stainless steel and plastic.

How should you clean produce after bringing it home from the store or market?

Clean fruits and vegetables by scrubbing them under running water.  This should be done even if you are going to peel the fruit first to avoid contaminating the produce when you cut them. Do not use soap or other disinfectants. 

It is possible that the outside of a food container has been exposed to the COVID-19 virus during transportation and storage at the store. If you are concerned, it is suggested that you wipe the outside of food containers as you unpack them when you arrive home, and wash your hands.

No. Household disinfectants (e.g. Lysol wipes, bleach solutions) are used to disinfect surfaces and are not good to use on foods. The chemicals in the wipes should not be ingested.

Is Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) the same as the SARS virus?

Although both viruses are from the same family of virus, Novel Coronavirus is not the same coronavirus that caused SARS in 2003. There were no reported cases of SARS in Waterloo Region in 2003.

Visit Grand River Transit to learn about how they are responding to Novel Coronavirus.