COVID-19: Vaccines

Public message about spitting

It seems to me that spitting is probably a very ‘transmittable’ behavior in these COVID days…. I do lots of activities that people seem to think it is a normal thing to spit (ie cross country skiing, running, waiting at the bus stop)…lift your face mask and spit without thinking twice about it. I think it would be a very good public message to says spitting is unnecessarily risky to others around you….

Limerick contest

Limericks are an accessible form of poetry, and often humorous. I think a contest would get people focusing on something lighthearted during the dark days of winter. You would have to have some rules (nothing lewd, for example), and you could have one per month. Have a suggested $1 donation for each entry, with money going to a business relief fund or the food bank. The best limerick could be rewarded with being published in the councilors' newsletters and perhaps also receive a gift certificate for something like a massage therapy treatment, to ward of the winter blahs.

Decorate a neigbours lawn with Christmas ornaments especially for those living alone; shut-in.

Lights and decorations lift everyone's spirits so we could spread joyon our street.

There is a persistent myth that being outdoors does not require mask-wearing, regardless of how much distance between people.

Because of these prevalent ambiguities, is it not time to issue a Mandatory Mask requirement whenever people are outside their homes? I believe so.

Stop testing people who are not severely ill. It is a waste of time and money and unrealistically inflates covid cases resulting in unneces

Stop testing people who are not severely ill. It is a waste of time and money and unrealistically inflates covid cases resulting in unnecessary closures and lockdowns.

We need more information regarding the active cases

I saw on the news this morning that 5 employees of a restaurant have tested positive. I assume that in in the food industry gloves and masks are mandatory. So what went wrong? As the manager of a small company with 7 persons, I would like to understand what happened, so that a similar situation does not occur here. Quoting numbers is good, but it's not enough.

Set Guidelines for Indoor Humidity Levels in Public and Commercial Buildings

Recent research and evidence suggest that indoor environmental conditions may have a strong impact on the spread of COVID-19. I have heard Ottawa Public Health and Ottawa School Boards discuss the need for increased ventilation as more buildings reopen. However, these discussions seem to overlook the need for humidity control with increased ventilation. With cool outdoor temperatures increased ventilation will result in a significant drying of the indoor air. A recently peer-reviewed published study, An Overview on the Role of Relative Humidity in Airborne Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in Indoor Environments, found strong evidence that dry indoor environments can support the spread of COVID-19 (as well as other viral infections). The paper is published in the Aerosol and Air Quality Research journal at the following link: https://aaqr.org/articles/aaqr-20-06-covid-0302 Has Ottawa Public health considered providing guidance on indoor humidity levels in addition to increased ventilation in public buildings? [Disclosure: I am a past chair of ASHRAE Technical Committee 5.11 – Humidifiers, and I am currently employed by an Ottawa based manufacturer of humidification equipment in a technical role, which leads me to review this type of research regularly.]

Encourage people to not eat meals with others outside their bubble

Hearing about the reported BBQ that caused an outbreak. Chances are that the infections were caused by sharing food and/or eating in close proximity. All other suggestions are good (distancing, hygiene) Masks definitely work, BUT are not a 100%. They should be promoted like sunscreen, you definitely need to put some on, but you still might be burnt, maybe not as bad. I feel too many people think a mask provides 100% immunity, we need to be clear on the effectiveness.

For large performance venues, e.g., a cinema that seats 600, what are the criteria to increase its allowed number of patrons above 50?

Publish criteria to increase a large performance venue's seating above 50

Require Bars to Keep Their Music Volume Low

With loud music, people lean in & shout into each other's faces, and sing along. All these are risky behaviours that are probably enhanced after a couple of drinks.

Signage along Moodie Drive directing people how to get to the test centre Currently they are visiting business' possibly infecting them

Covid 19 Test Centre 595 Moodie Drive Signage on Moodie Drive

I am claustrophobic and I cannot wear anything on my face, without triggering panic attacks. I am worried. I won't be able to wear a mask.

I am afraid of retaliation from the people around me , when they see me without a mask. So, to avoid this problem maybe the government could create a bracelet that would be used by the people who are exempted from wearing the mask. This way, no words would need to explain my lack of compliance with the law. We are living in a very weird moment in our society, where small situations generate verbal and physical violence. That is what I am trying to avoid. Bracelet for the people exempted from wearing a mask. Thanks. Patricia

Ask grocery stores and drug stores to put in place web cams on-line so we can see if the store is too busy to go to from our smartphones etc

Mandatory face mask or shields

I’m very open to everyone wearing a face mask or face shield indoors or on a bus. Let’s protect eachother and immune compromised people. We need to make face masks and Face shields accessible for people who can’t afford them.

Getting takeout occasionally, shopping locally for everything that I can

There is a rumour that people with no symptoms have to self isolate for 14 to 16 days (because of testing delays) if they take a test

This discourages grocery clerks from getting tested just to find pockets of virus

Need many more testing centres

New York state has over 700 testing sites including pharmacies and drive thru sites and they are now testing over 60,000 people a day. Make it more convenient for people and they will get tested. Leave it at 3 sites in the city and you will get less response.

Workplace surveys for higher-risk occupations

Visiting and mass-testing higher risk, public-facing frontline workplaces, (as has been done with some healthcare workers) to get a better picture of the asymptomatic/community spread. For example: retail/grocery/pharmacy/and public-facing customer service staff, cleaning/janitorial staff, in addition to any measures with healthcare staff such as PSWs, healthcare reception workers, and healthcare workers. Could be organized by business (eg chain/brand, contractor) or geography (eg shopping plaza, business district). Unsure which personal rights/privacy and workplace health & safety policies may be implicated. Who gets scheduled on 'testing day' could be confounding if it makes nonrandom samples. Would also be beneficial as anti-body testing as soon as available

Drive-thru testing and Waitlist App

A Waitlist App may be useful for managing long lineups and wait-times. Perhaps people can add their names to the waitlist virtually, by phone or in person, and then be notified shortly before their turn. It would avoid on-site crowds and long waits in hot weather. Drive-thru testing may feel safer to many people that are otherwise dissuaded by long waits in crowded lineups or hot weather. It of course needs to be offered alongside testing accessible to those without cars.

Virus traces in wastewater

Research (notably in the Netherlands:https://www.kwrwater.nl/actueel/de-nieuwste-rioolwatermonsters/) has shown that there is a correlation between the concentration of trace coronavirus in wastewater, and the number of registered cases and hospitalizations, and that these measurements can provide up to a week's notice about how the number of cases/hospitalizations will evolve. If it isn't already the case, the City of Ottawa should consider performing such measurements at the ROPEC, and publishing this data to raise awareness and ensure measurements are taken (and accepted) to prevent an undesired uptick in the number of cases.

Allow 2 households bubbles

Provide guidance on how to make this safe to maintain proper curve flattening. Thank you.

Recommend that people who are NOT working avoid using walk-through parks on weekdays at lunch (12-1) and between 4-6 PM to ease congestion.

That is the only time I can go!

Open up outdoor spaces - including trails, parks, beaches, and gardens.

The risk outdoors is very low if people are spacing themselves. City parks like Petrie island are closed, forcing everyone to crowd onto the trails instead. I haven't heard any good reasons to keep these closed. Being outdoors is good for physical health, mental health, and vitamin D production.

Allow people to sit on a bench in a public park or do a bit of a workout. People can practise physical distancing easily. Stop fining people

Parks

Improve reporting

It is frustrating to see that as of May 1st the quality of reporting from the City has worsened rather than improved. Stating a case number increase is not indicative of the situation. Reporting on community outbreak/ cases with unknown origins are the real tell tale sign of how we are doing to control this.

Formal Fridays

Sometimes my husband and I will dress up a little on Friday evenings and order take out or delivery from a local restaurant and play board games - gives us something to look forward to each week :)

Outdoor time, cooking

we go for walks and bike rides every day and we have been doing a lot of cooking and baking