Durham Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Robert Kyle, has advised that residents should keep the contact information of guests for at least one month.
“I have received several questions about the Section 22 Class Order that was issued on September 10, 2021 and came into effect on September 11, 2021 at 12:01 am to all persons hosting social gatherings in Durham Region. The Class Order requires hosts of a social gathering to maintain contact information for all attendees for at least a month and provide the information to the Health Department upon request,” Dr. Kyle said in an issued statement.
There continues to be a risk of Covid-19 in our community and the Health Department must continue to respond to protect the health of residents. Thank you to everyone for your ongoing cooperation, said Dr. Kyle.
Durham Region Health Department said it will only request contact information for attendees of an event from the organizer during a C-19 investigation. An investigation may involve a potential outbreak occurring at a wedding/sports tournament.
There have been recent outbreaks at basketball tournaments in Durham.
The Section 22 Class Order (Social Gatherings) is a tool to ensure timely and efficient case and contact management during the course of a Covid-19 investigation where a positive case has been identified at a social gathering held at a business, organization or a private dwelling. While the majority of hosts are compliant with the requirements to provide the Health Department with information during a Covid-19 investigation or outbreak, there are some who do not cooperate. Accordingly, we expect the tool will rarely be used, he said.
This class order is a legal tool to help ensure that all hosts of social gatherings follow the Health Department’s requirements to protect the health of the community. Case and contact management are essential actions that help stop the spread of an infectious or communicable disease and they have been a main focus of the Health Department’s Covid-19 response activities throughout the pandemic.