COVID-19 in Ottawa: Fast Facts for Feb. 21, 2021

A youngster slides on a slope at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa on Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021. (Sean Kilpatrick/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

OTTAWA — Good morning. Here is the latest news on COVID-19 and its impact on Ottawa.

Fast Facts:

COVID-19 by the numbers in Ottawa (Ottawa Public Health data):

Testing:

Who should get a test?

Ottawa Public Health says there are five reasons to seek testing for COVID-19:

Where to get tested for COVID-19 in Ottawa:

There are several sites for COVID-19 testing in Ottawa. To book an appointment, visit https://www.ottawapublichealth.ca/en/shared-content/assessment-centres.aspx

COVID-19 screening tool:

The COVID-19 screening tool for students heading back to in-person classes can be found here.

Symptoms:

Classic Symptoms: fever, new or worsening cough, shortness of breath

Other symptoms: sore throat, difficulty swallowing, new loss of taste or smell, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, pneumonia, new or unexplained runny nose or nasal congestion

Less common symptoms: unexplained fatigue, muscle aches, headache, delirium, chills, red/inflamed eyes, croup

Ottawa sees 53 new COVID-19 cases and 1 new death Saturday

Ottawa Public Health reported 53 new cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa on Saturday, the 30^th straight day with fewer than 100 cases of the virus.

One new death linked to the virus was announced.

Since the first case of COVID-19 on March 11, there have been 14,269 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, including 436 deaths.

Single symptom COVID-19 screening returning for Ontario students Monday

The Ontario government has updated its COVID-19 screening tool for schools, saying staff, students and children must stay home, even if they only have one COVID-19 symptom.

The new school and childcare screening tool says you must stay home and self-isolate without exception until:

A statement on the government's website says, "Everyone in your household should stay home if anyone has COVID-19 symptoms or is waiting for test results after experiencing symptoms."

Ottawa Bylaw issues 108 tickets to violators during COVID-19 lockdown in Ottawa

Ottawa Bylaw officers issued 108 charges for illegal gatherings and non-essential businesses opening in Ottawa during the 52 day COVID-19 lockdown.

The Ontario government moved Ottawa and all of Ontario into lockdown on Dec. 26 in a bid to stop the spread of COVID-19. The restrictions included all non-essential businesses remaining closed and no gatherings with people outside your own household.

The lockdown and stay-at-home order ended on Feb. 16, and Ottawa moved to the "orange-restrict" zone in Ontario's COVID-19 provincial framework for opening during the pandemic.

In a statement to CTV News Ottawa, Ottawa Bylaw and Regulatory Services says officers issued 108 charges between Dec. 26 and Feb. 15 for contraventions of Provincial Orders.

"This includes 19 charges issued to businesses and 89 charges issued to individuals, for a range of offences including open non-essential businesses, individuals attending open non-essential businesses and social gatherings," said Roger Chapman, Ottawa Bylaw Director.

Renfrew County's top doctor considers stringent rules for Barry's Bay due to COVID-19 case spike

Renfrew County's top doctor is not ruling out tough new restrictions for Barry's Bay due to a spike in COVID-19 cases.

The town two hours west of Ottawa has seen 27 cases of COVID-19 since the start of the year, whereas the remainder of Renfrew County has totalled only 47 cases.

"They're running about a third of our cases, yet they're only 12 per cent of the population," says Dr. Robert Cushman. Renfrew County's acting medical officer of health.

In a statement earlier this week, the health unit said the COVID-19 spread has mostly been within families in Barry's Bay.  The health unit said the area has been the source of frequent complaints from local merchants about customers who do not comply with the mask requirements.

Popcorn and other snacks will be allowed in Quebec's orange zone theatres: Health Ministry

Movie goers in Gatineau will be allowed to enjoy snacks when cinemas reopen on Feb. 26.

On Saturday, Quebec's ministry of health announced that when theatres in orange zones reopen, they will be allowed to sell concessions.

Movie theatres in red zones will not be permitted to sell snacks.

Gatineau and the Outaouais move to the orange zone in Quebec's COVID-19 restrictions on Monday.