WINDSOR, ONT. -- The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit says there are 20 new cases of COVID-19 in the region on Monday.

Windsor-Essex has had a total of 2,943 confirmed cases of the virus, including 2754 people who have recovered.

Here’s the breakdown of new cases:

  • 13 close contacts of confirmed cases
  • 2 travel-related, outside of North America
  • 5 still under investigation

Over the weekend, WECHU reported 32 cases - 23 on Sunday and nine on Saturday.

Windsor-Essex medical officer of health Dr. Wajid Ahmed says the region had several weeks of low case counts, but the numbers are starting to rise.

“The warning bells are ringing loud for us and we have to listen,” says Ahmed.

Ahmed is urging residents to stop indoor social gatherings. The current limit is 10 people indoors, and he says people are exceeding that number.

“No more social gatherings please,” says Ahmed.

Ahmed says they are investigating multiple parties, including an unauthorized Halloween party with University of Windsor students. The investigations are still in the early stages.

There are four outbreaks in long term care and retirement homes. Riverside Place and Berkshire Care Center in Windsor both have two staff members with the virus. Lifetimes on Riverside has four residents and four staff members who have tested positive. Iller Lodge in Essex has four residents and one staff member with the virus.

The health unit says there have been recent cases in schools, but no outbreaks in schools. There are no listed outbreaks in workplaces.

There have been 76 deaths related to COVID-19 in Windsor-Essex. Fifty-three deaths are related to residents in retirement or long-term care homes and two are related to migrant workers.