Chatham-Kent wants Windsor Essex locals to stay away amid COVID-19 surge

Leaders in Chatham-Kent want people in Windsor-Essex not to come to their municipality — at least not during the lockdown period.

"My friend and colleague, Dr. Wajid Ahmed, the medical officer of health there is telling everybody in Windsor to respect the lockdown and stay home, so I am echoing his message exactly," said Dr. David Colby, medical officer of health for the Chatham-Kent Public Health Unit.

• Chatham-Kent church outbreak put nearly 500 people into isolation

Windsor-Essex just went into lockdown Monday, reaching the province's strictest COVID-19 zone. Chatham-Kent is currently in the province's yellow COVID-19 category and hopes to not go into orange. Instead, they want to back to green.

The chief administrative officer for Chatham-Kent Don Shropshire says thousands of people commute back and forth between the two regions every day. 

But he says if your trip from Windsor-Essex is not essential, to stay home and not circumvent the lockdown orders. 

"We've all seen that our businesses have been hammered by COVID," said Shropshire. "But the flip side is for the last 10 months we've all been balancing off what's the health and safety issue versus the economic impact."

Chatham-Kent has also cancelled ice time in hockey rinks for people living in Essex County.

The libraries in Tilbury and Wheatley are offering curbside service only.

The province is also telling people in Windsor Essex they cannot go to a drive test centre in Chatham-Kent for an in-vehicle driving test. The road tests have been cancelled in Windsor Essex due to the lockdown.