The municipality is standing by increased COVID restrictions.
Medical officer Dr. David Colby has come under fire this week over stricter limits on social gatherings to help limit the spread of COVID-19, including protesters demonstrating in front of his home and a local lawyer questioning his authority.
However, a number of Chatham-Kent officials have now spoken out in support of public health and the increased restrictions meant to keep the entire community safe.
Mayor Darrin Canniff says health unit staff are dealing with unprecedented levels of exhaustion and frustration, and don’t deserve the various forms of mistreatment they have been subjected to.
“It has been a long and difficult couple of years for all Chatham-Kent residents” states Mayor Darrin Canniff. “Our local health unit staff are at unprecedented levels of exhaustion, fatigue, and frustration. They too have experienced the toll that COVID-19 has played in their lives both professionally and personally. While many residents are having to modify their holiday parties and gatherings, many health unit staff will again be absent at dinners with their own families this holiday.”
Officials from the Chatham-Kent Board of Health are also urging the public to re-evaluate where they are focusing their energy.
“Bullying, harassment, and disrespectful behaviour directed to the very people working to protect our community is unconscionable,” says Joe Faas, Chair of the Chatham-Kent Board of Health. “We need to fight this pandemic virus, not the people dedicated to helping us do so.”
Following the spirit of the expert guidance provided by Chatham-Kent’s Medical Officer of Health, the Municipality is also cancelling all planned indoor holiday events and proceedings for this season.
“There are ways to gather and celebrate safely this Holiday season,” CAO Don Shropshire says. “Given the recent increase in the number of COVID-19 cases some adjustments have to be made to limit the risk of further spread and causing additional strain on our healthcare systems.”
