Waterloo region COVID-19 cases stable, but officials warn homecoming could jeopardize that

The COVID-19 case rates in Waterloo region have seen "relative stability" in recent weeks,medical officer of health Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang says.

But with homecoming celebrations planned by Wilfrid Laurier University, University of Waterloo and Conestoga College this weekend, officials have warned large, unsanctioned homecoming gatherings could put the whole community at risk for increased spread of the delta variant.

"Because of the delta variant and how easily is spreads when public health measures are not practised, if you wish to celebrate in person with others reduce your risk by celebrating outdoors in small groups with people you trust," Wang said during a virtual media briefing on Friday.

"I recognize that many students are already taking the appropriate steps to help limit the spread of COVID-19," she added. "By celebrating virtually or limiting your contacts, you are protecting yourself, your community and emergency responders."

29 new cases

On Friday, Waterloo region reported 29new cases of COVID-19, and no new deaths.

There are currently 170 active cases, which is down by six. And 10 people are hospitalized with the virus, which is an increase of two.

Wang noted that spread of the virus in Waterloo region is often spreading becausepeople are having large gatherings and that is leading to cases being reported in area schools. But, Wang said, for the most part students are not passing the virus to each other while in school.

"I might be a bit of a broken record, but most of the transmission is happening outside of the school environment," Wang said.

"We are seeing that mostly through people having fairly large gatherings without public health measures that's the most frequent circumstance in which we continue to see cluster of cases and transmission to children and youth."

Wang encouraged anyone who isn't already vaccinated, or who can get their second dose, to do so.

Other homecoming measures

Waterloo Regional Police Services Chief Bryan Larkin said measures have been taken to control crowds in the university district, including fencing in some areas.

He said homecoming weekends "bring so much vibrancy to ourcommunity" and the vast majority of people will follow the law.

"We have to remind ourselves as we find some sense of whatever the new normal is that we remain in a significant challenge around combating the global pandemic, and we must support the continued work of Dr. Wang and our incredible public health team," he said during the media briefing.

"To the citizens of Waterloo and to Waterloo region, we are well prepared and we are well aligned. I must say, we also want to ensure we don't overburdened ourpublic healthcare system, and the reality is that all public safety agencies are dealing with significant call demand and we want to ensure that we're prepared and ready to respond to elsewhere in the region and not addressing unlawful or unsanctioned events."

Ivan Joseph, vice-president of student affairs at Wilfrid Laurier University, said there are only two in-person events this weekend: the student pancake breakfast and the football game.

There will be 900 people at the football game, but Joseph said that's far below the capacity of the stadium.

"We are going to have social distancing in that area, we've also got the masking policy up in there, we also have thevaccination check before they get in. There will be no eating in the stands, there will be a separate area for that," he said, noting people cannot drink alcohol at the stadium either.

"One of the big differences between having folks in a football stadium is we can supervise and make sure those policies are adhered to. So far, our first game, we saw no outbreak. This will be our second game in that space."

He also noted that while the first goal will be to educate people about COVID-19 restrictions and what rules need to be followed, enforcement and sanctions may also be necessary and current students may face consequences for their actions.