Chatham-Kent could get put into red zone or lockdown, medical officer says

A recent uptick in new COVID-19 cases means Chatham-Kent will almost certainly see stronger restrictions, according to the municipality's medical officer of health.

Dr. David Colby said during a media availability on Thursday that the region could be moved to the red zone, or even to a lockdown.

The province, which makes the decisions on where a region stands within the colour-coded COVID-19 framework,usually announces updateson Fridays.

"We had a large number of cases yesterday and this will be noticed. I'm just holding my breath to see how this shakes down," Colby said.

Chatham-Kent has been in the orange zone since March 1.

The municipality has 78 active COVID-19 cases. Twenty-threewere announced on Thursday, and there are three active outbreaks.

Colby said a recent rise in cases is being traced back to indoor gatherings. He also mentioned the improving weather and COVID-19 fatigue.

"Every case we see results from a breakdown in health precautions. Every single one means that there's been abreakdown somewhere," he said.