Mayor Watson urging residents to be vigilant over COVID-19 in community

As restrictions continue to ease, the Mayor of Ottawa is calling on residents to remain vigilant over COVID-19 within the community.

Mayor Jim Watson says wastewater levels in the city are increasing, and expects various indicators to also fluctuate over the next couple of weeks.

He feels residents must use common sense, especially in more high-risk settings.

“If I'm going to be on the train after the mandate is gone, I'm still going to wear a mask because you're in an enclosed area with a lot of people,” Watson told reporters on Wednesday, March 23. “I think we have to take some personal responsibility.”

He adds it's important residents are vigilant when it comes to the virus in order to ensure there are no future lockdowns.

“I think that would be the last thing anyone would even want to dream about because of the devastation it took not only on businesses, but on people who lost their job and people who were confined to their house or apartment with very little interaction with other individuals,” Watson explained.

Watson would have liked the Ontario government to extend its mask mandate for settings such as schools and public transit. Masking was no longer mandated in schools as of Monday, March 21, while it will remains a requirement on public transit until Wednesday, April 27. 

He explains the City of Ottawa does not have the jurisdiction to legally overturn any provincial order, such as the lifting of the mask mandate, so it instead has to rely on the good will of residents.

Watson feels no one can predict the future when it comes to COVID-19, and reintroducing provisions to “flatten the curve” might be needed down the line.