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The York region says 11 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been linked to an indoor sports facility in Vaughan, and eight companies were indicted and fined Saturday for violating public health protocols.
In a public notice, York Region Public Health said the cases were traced to two football games played on November 11 and 15 at the TRIO Sportsplex and Event Center, in the Teston Road and Highway 400 area.
A group of 20-25 people attended the two events, and while wearing masks during the game, health officials said they did not wear them in the locker room.
Of the 11 people diagnosed with, eight are from Toronto. The other three are from the York, Simcoe-Muskoka and Peel regions. Everyone is advised to self-isolate for 14 days.
“In the interests of transparency, we actually prefer to publish any information about clusters that we think the public may be interested in,” York region health officer Dr. Karim Kurji said in an interview with CP24 on Saturday.
Those who participated in the games are told to monitor their symptoms as the risk of exposure is high, health officials said.
“What it does is underline the importance of being so careful when we go to places like gyms and also of being very careful in the locker room, particularly when playing soccer.”
Kurji noted that groups like this show there is evidence that there is a potential for COVID-19 transmission in gyms and sports facilities.
Last week, York Region Public Health notified the public of six cases related to fitness classes held in a studio in Aurora.
On Saturday, 145 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the York region.
As cases in the area appear to have stabilized, Kurji said they are still hanging in the balance.
“We haven’t actually seen the reduction that I was hoping for,” he said.
“We should see these reductions at any time, as we’ve gone 10 to 12 days after entering the red zone. So, we need to stay vigilant.”
The York region is in the red control layer of the province’s COVID-19 level framework for restrictions.
Officials have begged the province not to place the region on isolation level with Toronto and Peel, saying they are confident the current restrictions are enough to control spread.
Inspectors from the Department of Labor and members of the COVID-19 Enforcement Task Force, which include York region public health inspectors, law and police officers, are conducting a blitz in the region this weekend to make sure companies respect the protocols.
On Friday they inspected 439 factories, issuing charges under the Reopening Ontario Act and Section 22 of the Health Protection and Promotion Act to six companies.
“They were busy today and reported,” Kurji said.
The focus of Saturday’s inspections were large boxes and grocery stores. In a press release, the York region said inspectors visited 172 factories and eight companies were charged.
They include Vaughan Mills Mall, Costco at 7077 Kennedy Road, PHO 72, Yong He All Day Breakfast, Sam’s Congee Delight, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Lowe’s at Vaughan, and Majaz Lounge.
“We believe we have taken all the precautions we need to take,” the doctor said.
“And we’re confident we’re not actually moving into the blockade zone.”
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