Public Health Sudbury and Districts is warning of stricter self-isolation and school screening requirements.
The health unit notes Ontario's Ministry of Health implemented the changes "in response to the need for enhanced protection against the new more transmissible COVID-19 variants of concern", requiring all household contacts of individuals who've had even one symptom of COVID-19 to self-isolate until the individual receives a negative test result or an alternate diagnosis from a health care professional - if they don't seek COVID-19 testing, all household contacts must isolate for fourteen days from their last contact with the symptomatic individual.
The province's self-assessment and school and child care screener have been updated to reflect the change, as well as a requirement that anyone who has a new or worsening symptom of COVID-19 - even just one symptom - to stay home and self-isolate until they receive a negative COVID-19 test result, receive an alternative diagnosis by a health care professional, or it's been ten days since the symptom started and they're feeling better.
This comes as the health unit's reported eleven new cases - all in Greater Sudbury - a turn around from the zero cases reported Monday, bringing the health unit's total since the pandemic began to 594, 27 currently "active".