At least 17 cases of COVID-19 have been linked to two weddings held in Vaughan last month.
In a public notice issued on Wednesday, York Region Public Health said that an outbreak is connected to the two weddings that took place on Oct. 28 and Oct. 30.
Of the confirmed cases, 12 are residents of York Region, while five others are from Toronto.
Nine of the cases attended both weddings.
The Oct. 28 wedding was divided into three separate events:a pre-wedding affair at a Markham home where 14 people attended; the wedding ceremony held at Chateau le Jardin, where up to 140 guests were present; and a post-wedding celebration at a Markham residence with about 10 attendees.
(Chateau le Jardin is seen in this undated photo.)
York Region Public Health said the Oct. 30 wedding had a pre-wedding gathering in addition to the ceremony.
The pre-wedding event was held at a home in Ajax with an unknown number of attendees, while the main event was held at Paradise Banquet Hall in Vaughan, where approximately 130 people participated.
York Region Public Health said those who attended the pre-wedding and post-wedding events of the two weddings have a high risk of exposure due to insufficient physical distancing and masking.
Meanwhile, there is a low risk of exposure for those who took part in the wedding ceremonies.
Of the 17 cases, 12 attended the pre-wedding event forthe Oct. 28 wedding, and 16 are tied to the main event for the Oct. 30 wedding.
York Region Public Health said they have been in contact with the two wedding venues.
(Paradise Banquet and Convention Centre is seen in this undated photo.)
“Upon preliminary investigation, it appears these facilities adhered to many recommended infection prevention and control practices, making exposure at the ceremonies low risk,” York Region said.
All the attendees are being asked to self-monitor for 14 days for signs and symptoms of COVID-19.
Both weddings took place when York Region was under a modified version of Stage 2.
“Private gatherings continue to be a major factor in the ongoing transmission of COVID-19 in York Region,” the health unit said in its notice. “While current provincial restrictions in York Region allow for a maximum of 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors, these limits are on the condition physical distancing of 2 metres can be maintained between anyone outside of your immediate household.”
In an e-mail to CP24, a spokesperson for York Region said this is the third largest cluster of cases linked to weddings and wedding events.
“While a number of public health measures appear to have been in place for the ceremonies, it is vital we carry these important measures through to other wedding-related gatherings in our own homes including physical distancing with people outside of our household,” Patrick Casey, the director of corporate communications for York Region, said.
Last month, another large wedding in Vaughan was tied to at least 44 cases.
York Region reported 180 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday.
