What you need to know about COVID-19 in Ottawa on Wednesday, Sept. 9

Recent developments:

• Ottawa logged 17 newCOVID-19 cases Wednesday and marked 34 more asresolved.
• The city's medical officer of health says overall, Ottawa'sCOVID-19 situation isstable.
• Ashortage of driversforces school bus delays andcancellations.
• Ontario's premier says local leaders should decide if they need to tighten pandemic rules.
• Immigrants andrefugees account fornearly half of Ontario's COVID-19 cases but only one-quarter of the province'spopulation.

What's the latest?

Ottawa Public Health (OPH) logged 17 newCOVID-19 cases Wednesdayandmarked 34 morecases as resolved, lowering the number of known active cases in the cityfor the first time since Friday.

Medical officer of health Vera Etches told city councillorsWednesday the situation in Ottawa remains stable, while OPH focuses on keeping the illness out of schools and care homes.

The Ottawa Student Transportation Authority (OSTA) is warning parents it still doesn't have enough drivers to transport all students returning to school this fall.

Some students in grades 7-12 will have to take public transit, and some school buses will be delayed or cancelled, according to a statement issued by OSTAWednesday afternoon.

Following British Columbia's decision to tighten some of its COVID-19 rules, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he'd prefer individual mayors or health units in thisprovince make their own decisions about whether to follow suit.

According toa new report, refugees and other newcomers accounted for nearly 44 per cent of Ontario's COVID-19 cases in the first half of the year. That's despite lower rates of testing among those groups,and the fact that they make up just one-quarter of the province's population.

How many cases are there?

There have been 3,151confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa since the start of the pandemic,225known active, 267 people whose deaths have been linked to the respiratory illness and 2,659 considered resolved.

Overall, public health officials have reported more than 4,800 cases across eastern Ontario and western Quebec, with more than 4,100 cases considered resolved.

COVID-19 has killed 104 people in the region outside Ottawa: 52 people have died in Leeds, Grenville and Lanark counties, 34 in the Outaouais and 18 in other parts of eastern Ontario.

What's open and closed?

Every local school board or service centre has started bringing students back except forthe Upper Canada District School Board, which starts tomorrow.

All classes should have started by Sept. 18.

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Ontario is in Stage 3 of its reopening plan, which means more businesses are open including dine-in restaurants and movie theatres.

Indoor gatherings of up to 50 people and outdoor gatherings of up to 100 are now allowed in that province but attendees must follow physical distancing guidelines.

Its health minister announced Sept.8 there won't be any further loosening of rules for four weeks, or Oct. 6, because of the concerning upward trend in its numbers.

Kingston, Ont., has tightened its distancing rules in city parks and closed the Breakwater Park beach because of what the city says has been risky behaviour.

• Return of students was tipping point for Kingston park changes, says mayor

PR Transpo transit service in Prescott-Russell resumes Monday.

Quebec has similar reopening rules to Ontario, with its cap on physically distanced gatherings in public venues now up to 250 people, allowing smaller festivals.

Distancing and isolating

The novel coronavirus primarily spreads through droplets when an infected person coughs, sneezes, breathes or speaks onto someone or something.

People don't need to have symptoms to be contagious.

That means physical distancing measures such as working from home, meeting others outdoors as much as possible and keeping distance from anyone you don't live with or have in their circle, including when you have a mask on.

Masks are now mandatory in indoor public settings in all of eastern Ontario and Quebec, including transit services and taxis in some areas.

Masks are also recommended outdoors when you can't stay the proper distance from others.

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Anyone who has travelled recently outside Canada must go straight home and stay there for 14 days.

In Ontario, that's the same period of self-isolation for anyone with symptoms. When self-isolating, only leave home or see other people if it's critically important, such as to go see a doctor.

Most people with a confirmed COVID-19 case in Quebec can end their self-isolation after 10 days if they have not had a fever for at least 48 hours and has had no other symptom for at least 24 hours.

Health Canada recommends older adults and people with underlying medical conditions and/or weakened immune systems stay home as much as possible.

What are the symptoms of COVID-19?

COVID-19 can range from a cold-like illness to a severe lung infection, with common symptoms including fever, a cough, vomiting and the loss of taste or smell.

Less common symptoms include chills, headaches and pinkeye. Children can develop a rash.

People should not get tested any sooner than five days after potential exposure, since it takes approximately five days for the virus to grow to levels where it's detectable by a test, said Ottawa's medical officer of health Vera Etches in early September.

If you have severe symptoms, call 911.

Where to get tested

In eastern Ontario:

In Ottawa any resident who feels they need a test, even if they are not showing symptoms, can be tested at one of four sites including a new drive-thru testing centre.

Inuit in Ottawa can call the Akausivik Inuit Family Health Team at 613-740-0999 for service, including testing, in Inuktitut or English on weekdays.

In the Eastern Ontario Health Unit area, there is a drive-thru centre in Casselman and assessment centres in Hawkesbury and Winchester that don't require people to call ahead.

Others in Alexandria, Rockland and Cornwall require an appointment.

In Kingston, the Leon's Centre is hosting the city's test site. Find it at Gate 2.

Napanee's test centre is open daily for people who call ahead.

You can arrange a test in Bancroft, Belleville or Trenton by calling the centre and in Picton by texting or calling. Only Belleville and Trenton run seven days a week.

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The Leeds, Grenville and Lanark unit asks you to get tested if you have a symptom or concerns about exposure.

It has a walk-in site in Brockville at the Memorial Centre and testing sites in Smiths Falls and Almonte which require an appointment.

Renfrew County residents should call their family doctor and those without access to a family doctor can call 1-844-727-6404 to register for a test or if they have health questions, COVID-19-related or not.

It's testing in six communities this week with an appointment.

In western Quebec:

Outaouais residents now can get a walk-in test in Gatineau seven days a week at 135 blvd. Saint-Raymond.

There are recurring clinics by appointment in communities such as Gracefield, Val-des-Monts and Fort-Coulonge.

They can call 1-877-644-4545 to make an appointment or if they have other questions.

First Nations:

Akwesasne has had 14 confirmed COVID-19 cases,mostlinked to a gathering on an island in July.

It has a mobile COVID-19 test site available by appointment only. Anyone returning to the community on the Canadian side of the international border who's been farther than 160 kilometres away or visited Montreal for non-essential reasons is asked to self-isolate for 14 days.

In early September, it expanded its gathering limit to 50 people. Its schools start bringing students back the week of Sept. 21.

Anyone in Tyendinaga who's interested in a test can call 613-967-3603 to talk to a nurse. Its office and well-being centre will be open by appointment, with bookings starting Sept. 14.

People in Pikwakanagan can book an appointment for a COVID-19 test by calling 613-625-2259.

Kitigan Zibi's fitness centre and playground park are opening up with restrictions..

For more information

• Ottawa Public Health.
• Your local eastern Ontario health unit.
• The Ontario Ministry of Health (in several languages).
• The Centre intgr de sant et de services sociaux de l'Outaouais.
• The Public Health Agency of Canada.