KITCHENER -- The Region of Waterloo confirmed two new COVID-19 cases in the area on Sunday.

It announced that all facilities and programs will be closed until April 5, and also outlined new prevention measures.

Two new COVID-19 cases in Waterloo Region

The two new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed on Sunday. This brings Waterloo Region’s total to eight.

The Region says the seventh case is a man in his 60s who was tested at St. Mary's Hospital and had close contact to the second patient in the area. He is currently at his home in self-isolation.

"Four of the cases are linked in that they were either in close contact of a previous case or they had the same travel exposure," said the Region's Public Health’s Acting Medical Officer of Health Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang.

The eighth case is a man in his 20s who was also tested at St. Mary's. The region says they have no details on his travel history at the time.  He is currently at his home in self-isolation.

"We need to act in a manner that's proportionate to the risk but also in a matter that is very timely because we can see what's coming," said Wang. "We can see that more travellers are coming and the risk of being infected if you're a traveller from outside Canada has significantly increase in the last few days.

"The risk is increasing. We should expect at some point there will be community spread."

Region-run facilities and programs closed

All municipally-run cultural and recreational facilities such as arenas, museums, pools, community centres, and public libraries will be closed to the public from March 16 to April 5.

March Break day camps run by the region will also be closed for the time period.

Refunds will be issued to registrants of programs and activities that were offered in the now-closed facilities.

The region says they will be making a decision whether or not to close municipally-run famers’ markets on March 21.

All parks, fields, trails, and outdoor spaces will remain open.

"We realize that is inconvient for families that have registered for those camps," said Region of Waterloo CAO Mike Murray. "We are reaching out today to families who have registered for camps at our musuems."

Further details about specific changes and closures can be found online.

"We really encourage all organizations to try to make sure that they prevent crowding and not allow crowds of more than 250 people," said Wang. "They do what they can to allow the people inside the facilities to have the space for social distancing."

Enhanced measures to prevent COVID-19

The Region of Waterloo Public Health’s Acting Medical Officer of Health Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang has recommended further measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the area.

  • Cancel or postpone large gatherings of 250 people or more
  • Practice hand hygiene, respiratory etiquette, and social distancing as much as possible
  • Take advantage of virtual options to continue providing services
  • Postpone non-essential travel outside Canada, including to the United States
  • Travelers returning from outside Canada should self-isolate for 14 days
  • Long-term care homes, retirement homes, and supportive housing and hospices should allow only essential visitors into facilities
  • Children who have travelled outside Canada should not return to childcare for 14 days