It’s time for Ontarians to double down on handwashing, staying home with any cough or fever and other protective measures as COVID-19 cases increase at home and surge around the world, says Ontario’s chief medical officer of health.

“The next two weeks are very important,” Dr. David Williams said Monday as Canada recorded its first novel coronavirus death at a nursing home in British Columbia, where there has already been person-to-person transmission of the bug in people without travel history to hard-hit areas of the globe.

“Community containment depends on the public,” he added, calling for “enhanced” protective actions while Ontarians digest tough measures taken in Italy and elsewhere to clamp down on the virus, along with the psychological hit of tumbling stock markets.

“We could be on the edge of community spread.”

Accordingly, coronavirus “assessment centres” are in the works to keep people from descending on busy hospital emergency rooms, leaving them free to deal with other patients, Williams added.

Protective measures also include cough etiquette and “social distancing” from others to avoid potential infection.

“You have to do it consistently,” Williams emphasized, noting any March break travel will bring its own risks as people transit through airports and foreign locations — particularly with younger children who don’t understand why it’s unwise to touch a handrail and touch their face without washing their hands first.

His advice came as Premier Doug Ford’s government faced criticisms for being tight-lipped on contingency plans for a potential COVID-19 outbreak in the province and for planned amalgamations of local health units that are on the front lines of tracing novel coronavirus cases.

While Health Minister Christine Elliott said hospitals — already facing overcrowding — will find ways to cope if patient loads increase dramatically, opposition parties said she should be laying out potential responses in more detail so the public can prepare for potential changes in day-to-day life.

Ontario had 35 cases as of late Monday afternoon, with the latest being a woman in her 30s who went to Brampton Civic Hospital after close contact with another confirmed case.

“We do have a plan in place and we will escalate as and when we see the need to do so,” the health minister said, adding that hospitals will co-operate by shifting resources as needed to cope with any influx of patients.

Nursing homes and retirement homes will be given more guidance on screening visitors and staff more thoroughly to protect the vulnerable elderly after outbreaks in B.C. and Seattle-area long-term care homes, she added. The majority of people who get COVID-19 have a mild illness but it can turn into pneumonia in some.

That is a particular concern because seniors are more likely to end up in hospital intensive care units, making keeping them healthy a priority, said Williams.

But Ontarians need more specifics so they can get their heads around any potentially difficult next steps, opposition parties said.

“I don’t see the minister of health laying out a plan as to what’s going to happen should this virus take hold and start to spread significantly in Ontario because we know the hospitals are hanging by a thread already,” NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said.

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“We are in a hallway medicine crisis and what we need to hear from the government is exactly how those hospitals are going to be able to address an influx of more patients because of the COVID-19 virus.”

University of Toronto bioethicist Kerry Bowman said it’s a good idea to let the public in on upcoming measures and plans, particularly with the neighbouring United States rapidly becoming a “wild card” as infection rates rise amid a shortage of test kits.

“We really have to start preparing ourselves,” he added, specifically referring to maintaining buffer zones with others in certain situations based on perceived risks of exposure and transmission.

“What will social distancing look like? That’s a fair question from the public.”

An infectious disease expert with the University Health Network urged more “openness and transparency” on next steps.

“You need buy-in from the public,” Dr. Isaac Bogoch said from the Ivory Coast where he is working this week. “You have to let everyone know what the plan is. We need a well-informed general public.”

Green Leader Mike Schreiner echoed those concerns and credited provincial and municipal public health departments for doing a “good job” keeping citizens informed.

“We now need the Ford government to step up and be transparent with people about what the contingency planning is just to reassure the public that we do have a plan in place,” he said. “The more transparent you are with people the more they’re going to react in ways that best help the system.”

The Ontario Hospital Association said hospital staff have learned many valuable lessons from SARS, H1N1 flu and Ebola, and officials are in “active planning” for various COVID-19 scenarios, but acknowledged “there’s the potential that Ontario’s health care system will be heavily tested.”

With provincial and federal budgets looming, it’s essential the health care system have the funding necessary “to provide services to a potentially large number of patients requiring acute care” for the new coronavirus, said association president Anthony Dale.

“Into the future it is vital that the provincial and federal governments ensure that chronic hospital overcrowding is addressed and permanent surge capacity is restored to Ontario’s hospitals.”

Reuters news agency reported a 55 million N-95 protective face masks purchased by Ontario for stockpiling in 2013 have reached their best-before dates, rendering them less effective for front-line health workers — a problem first pointed out in a 2017 report by Ontario auditor general Bonnie Lysyk.

Williams said they can be used for “fit testing” — in which health workers try out masks so see which ones fit their faces the best — and the province is looking to buy more.