Ottawa Public Health recommends temporarily pausing indoor contact and team sports

Ottawa Public Health has asked sports organizations in the city to consider temporarily pausing indoor sports and team activities to help reduce the transmission of COVID-19.

A letter sent to organizations Friday says contact sports are considered high-risk activities when it comes to the transmission of COVID-19.

"Key risk factors for COVID-19 transmission include close contact, closed spaces, crowded places, prolonged exposure, and forceful exhalation, all of which are prevalent with indoor organized sport activities," the note says. "In addition, participants may be more vulnerable to COVID-19, as they are often children and youth, who may not be fully vaccinated, and often not wearing a mask or maintaining physical distance when engaging in physical activity."

This comes as Canada experiences a massive surge in COVID-19 transmission because of the Omicron variant. Case counts have skyrocketed, driving demand for testing even higher, leading Ontario to put limits on PCR testing. Anyone who can't get a test is asked to self-isolate if they develop COVID-19 symptoms.

Medical officer of health Dr. Vera Etches said in a year-end statement that residents should consider avoiding activities like indoor and team sports for the time being.