The acting medical officer of health for the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit is asking the community to limit social gatherings to less than 10 people during the holiday season.
"It's just not because of public health direction, it's also the right thing to do," says Dr. Shanker Nesathurai.
He says with the new restrictions going into place on Friday, it will take roughly two weeks to see the effects of the additional measures.
Dr. Nesathurai says the health unit will continue to monitor local COVID-19 data.
"We'll look at the data, we'll look and see how things are going and then if modifications needs to be made that can be done," he continued. "That being said, I would plan that if you are having a social gathering to have less than 10 people. I think that every person should consider what the consequences of having a holiday party are in the context of COVID-19 and keep the numbers to 10 or less."
As heard on AM800 news earlier this week, the local health unit issued new restrictions aimed at reducing gathering limits and encouraging work-from-home measures as the region faces a surge of COVID-19 cases.
In a letter of instruction issued Sunday, the acting medical officer of health stated the additional requirements, which go beyond provincial regulations, will take effect on Friday at 12:01 a.m. and remain in place until further notice.
The new restrictions impose a maximum of 10 people allowed in a social gathering indoors, with exceptions for weddings and funerals, and a maximum of 25 people if the gathering is held outdoors.
Restaurants and bars, along with meeting and event spaces, must limit their indoor capacity to 50 per cent to enable physical distancing and post visible signage indicating the number of people permitted based on this limit.
There must also be strict adherence to face covering requirements in all public settings.