That was the message from Dr. Vera Etches, Ottawa's medical officer of health, during a Thursday conference call with reporters about the city's COVID-19 situation. And yet despite the victorious tone, health officials across the region, including Etches, remain cautious. As close as we're getting to something resembling the pre-pandemic normal, we're not there yet. "So it's not back to normal, it's back to a new normal," he said. Even then, health officials will remain "hyper-vigilant" against new variants, he said, and certain healthy measures like frequent handwashing are likely here to stay.

Source: CBC News July 12, 2021 08:00 UTC