Kingston, Ont., health unit tightens private indoor gathering limit to 10

The private indoor gathering limit in the Kingston, Ont., area has been dropped to 10 people ahead of the holiday season, part of the local campaign to try to turn around a record-breaking month of worrying pandemic trends.

The changes to private indoor gathering rules from Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington Public Health also include forcing hosts of these events to share information with health officials that includes the names and contact information of everyone in attendance.

Fines of up to $5,000 are possible for every day these rules are broken under this Section 22 order, the health unit said in a statement. The changes are in effect at 12:01 a.m. Saturday.

The province's private indoor gathering limit is 25 people.

The area's pandemic trends have worsenedfor nearly a month. Its Thursday update included local records set or tied for the most known active COVID-19 cases (240), the most local COVID-19 hospitalizations (16) and the most local COVID-19 ICU patients (nine).

Tuesday's 46 more reported cases broke the previous record of 35, set a week before. Its five highest daily case counts have all come this month.

"Nearly half of our cases are acquired in the household setting,"said Dr. Piotr Oglazain the statement."Reducing indoor gathering limits in private dwellings is prudent and necessary."

The health unit previously changed rules forschool symptomsandindoor sports.