Two COVID-19 outbreaks tied to Hamilton wedding receptions
Hamilton public health says it appears attendees at a wedding reception now linked to a COVID-19 outbreak weren't following public health rules.
As of Tuesday, there are at least two outbreaks in the city connected to wedding receptions - spanning from the downtown core to Stoney Creek.
Twelve attendees at an Aug. 28 reception at LIUNA Station have been infected with the virus, while four others at another reception that same day at Galileo Gardens have also tested positive.
In an email Wednesday, public health spokesperson James Berry said the city is still investigating the outbreak but interviews with guests suggest not everyone was abiding by public health guidance.
Through case interviews it appears a number of guests were not masking, even when not eating/drinking, nor maintaining physical distancing, which likely contributed to transmission," Berry said.
Public health did not disclose if public health rules were followed at the gathering at Galileo Gardens. A manager who picked up the phone at the venue declined to comment on the outbreak.
In the city's COVID update on Tuesday afternoon, Hamilton's medical officer of health Dr. Elizabeth Richardson said the outbreaks at weddings in the city are consistent" with others seen at bars and restaurants.
They are areas where people are taking off their masks to eat or drink, they may be dancing, they may be doing more socializing," said Richardson. Then, we do tend to see increased levels of transmission."
Under step three of the province's reopening plan, wedding receptions held at indoor event spaces are capped at 50 per cent capacity or 1,000 people. Berry said 75 guests attended the reception at Galileo Gardens, while 170 were at the party at LIUNA Station.
Attendees must wear masks at all times aside from when they're eating or drinking, tables must be distanced by at least two metres and attendees must be screened for symptoms upon entry.
Speaking to The Spectator on Wednesday, LIUNA Station general manager Vico Rosatone said his staff remind guests numerous" times to put their masks back on during events hosted at the James Street North venue.
We're trying our best to ensure people are following the rules," said Rosatone. He went on to describe that part of the job as very combative" for staff that often feel threatened."
It's not a comfortable place for staff to even be at this point," said Rosatone. There is no handbook for this."
In the update Tuesday, Richardson said through their investigation, public health communicates with the operator of the banquet halls to see what occurred at the event. Berry said public health has completed contact tracing for both outbreaks and both remain under investigation.
As of Wednesday, Rosatone said staff at the venue have not been impacted by the outbreak. Workers at the event space are tested for the virus once a week, he noted.
Richardson said the outbreaks occurring in the venues underscore the need for the proof-of-vaccine program coming to the province.
As of Sept. 22, Ontarians hoping to attend a wedding reception at a banquet centre will have to provide proof of being fully vaccinated.
Even with vaccine verification, it's absolutely critical that we follow public health guidance to get fully vaccinated but also continue to wear a mask as much as possible in any of these sorts of spaces in order to prevent transmission," added Richardson.
It's a sentiment that was echoed by Dr. Dominik Mertz, associate professor in the division of infectious diseases at McMaster University, who said hearing of outbreaks at wedding receptions doesn't come as a surprise."
You have a gathering of a relatively large number of people, they're typically not physically distancing, often no masks and they're partying, hence they're paying less attention to the rules," Mertz said.
While the vaccine certificates won't reduce the risk of transmission to zero, Mertz said the overall risk is reduced significantly."
Mertz said other ways to reduce risk heading into fall would be smaller gathering sizes for wedding receptions or asking attendees to limit their contacts ahead of time.
Again, you will never have 100 per cent certainty that nothing will happen, but you can reduce the extent of potential outbreaks," said Mertz. But first and foremost, it's about having people vaccinated."
Outbreaks named
Public health also changed the way it reports outbreaks connected to weddings. As of Wednesday, the last names of the clients, dates and times of the weddings are now posted publicly.
Berry said the venues can host several" weddings a day, and public health felt it was important to be clear with the community and to those attending, as to the specific event that has been linked to a COVID-19 outbreak."
Fallon Hewitt is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach her via email: fhewitt@thespec.com