Thread by @GrantRants

Yesterday we reported that in his call to action to fight #COVID19 St. Catharines mayor @WSendzik misrepresented how/where the virus is spreading. It turns out Niagara Falls mayor @jimdiodati has also made a misleading comment re: the pandemic and restaurants. (FactCheck thread)

In commentary on his Facebook page largely about Costco, Mayor Diodati talks about his view of the new #COVID19 measures imposed on Niagara restaurants:

Like Sendzik, Diodati is making a blanket comment about measures at restaurants to say further measures are unfair and will cause economic harm (certain the last part is true).

But the specific claim about the success of the pre-Saturday, pre-orange alert measures is misleading

He says that the measures in #hotspot regions like Toronto lack proof that they are working. That may be debatable, but the facts are that could be said in Niagara as well. Moreover, as we reported yesterday (and for two weeks) we know the virus is spreading at restaurants.

Specifically, we know from the case data and contact tracing that #COVID19 is spreading through clusters of 20-somethings with large social circles who have been gathering in bars/restaurants. They are also attending house parties etc with little distancing and mask-wearing.

It is also true that, to date in Niagara, there has not been much spread between unconnected groups at restaurants. However, spread among these young adult groups created the super spreader cluster (which continues to expand) that caused outbreaks in 2 Niagara LTC homes.

.@NRPublicHealth has not disclosed which homes were impacted, or if any residents of those homes with #COVID19 have died.

In short, claims that the virus is not spreading in local restaurants is not true.

What Diodati is suggesting is that because measures in Toronto may not have worked, those restrictions should not apply in Niagara where, by the logic of his commentary, the virus is not as much of a problem. But we know how and why it has spread in bars/restaurants.

It has also been made clear by @mustafahirji that for the most part, this is not the fault of the restaurant owners, but of some patrons. But if you have clusters forming, in part, in restaurants, and those clusters end up leading to LTC home outbreaks, public health will act.

For context, there are 6 LTC outbreaks in Niagara currently. Since the start of the post-summer #COVID19 wave, 14 more Niagara residents with the virus have died. 13 of them are over 80 and mostly LTC home residents.

Also of note, the order issued by @mustafahirji did not place further limits on capacities or the # people at a table. It does require more information about patrons is collected, including confirmation that folks are dining with household members or "essential contacts".

The province's #COVID19 orange alert limits occupancy to 50 people and the number of people at a table to 4. (previously it was six). Those limits will now be in effect for 28 days.

-30-

Postscript: There is no denying the awful financial impact of the pandemic on restaurants, and that is why there is a chorus of calls to the province/federal government to help them. But to claim the virus is not spreading at restaurants is false.
-30-