OTTAWA – Ottawa Public Health (OPH) is reporting one new death and 45 new cases related to COVID-19 today (Dec. 11).

The city’s death toll, due to the virus, is at 384.

The good news is community outbreaks are down to just two – both of which are stemming from workplaces.

Overall, there are 25 Ottawa institutions dealing with positive cases of COVID-19. Six schools are featured on the OPH outbreak dashboard.

OPH says there are 365 active cases of COVID-19 in the city. There are 26 people hospitalized with the virus – three of whom are in intensive care.

Since March, there have been 8,939 lab-confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, with 8,190 of those resolved.

Christmas is two weeks away and Ontario’s top doctor is stressing the importance of people sticking to their own households over the holidays.

The province’s chief medical officer, Dr. David Williams, is asking residents to prepare for “a COVID Christmas and New Year’s,” advising Ontarians to avoid visiting with friends and family and travelling around the province.

With promising vaccine news in recent days Williams says the province can look forward to a more normal holiday season next year, but for now he is asking all residents to be diligent about staying home.

“Especially those in the orange, red and lockdown zones, it’s very critical to minimize the contacts outside your household,” he said. “Don’t go out too much unless you need to.”

Ottawa’s top doctor reminds residents to celebrate as safely as possible this year.

“As we enter the holiday season, it is imperative that we continue to make informed decisions to keep people safe from the COVID-19 virus,” Dr. Vera Etches, Ottawa’s chief medical officer of health, said today. “Avoiding crowded places and close contact with people outside our households is key.”

A recent Angus-Reid poll suggested a third of Canadians planned to visit friends and family despite the warnings. In the same poll 27 per cent of Ontarians said they planned on visiting with friends and family with eight per cent saying they planned on travelling over the holidays.

Earlier this week the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) issued a statement urging residents to stay home and celebrate only with those from one household due to an increasingly precarious situation in several intensive care units throughout the province.

Health officials are suggesting residents get creative and celebrate the holidays virtually.