Local residents strongly urged to avoid hosting/attending yard sales to help stop spread of COVID-19

With the City of Brantford and County of Brant now operating under Stage 2 of the Province’s re-opening plan which began Friday, June 12, 2020, area residents are reminded to remain cautious when going out in public.

Residents in our region are advised that the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) Advisory Committee strongly discourages people from holding or attending yard sales due to the risk of COVID-19 transmission. Organizing or visiting yard sales can increase exposure to COVID-19 and lead to the spread of the virus in the community. Here’s why:

Retail establishments that are open/continue to open are implementing a series of preventative and protective measures in their facilities/procedures to create a safer environment for their visitors and patrons. There are no guarantees that private yard sales would follow these same precautions.
COVID-19 is spread through close contact with people. It would be difficult to keep a physical distance of two (2) metres/six (6) feet during yard sales. It would also be difficult to control the number of visitors, and cash transactions would likely be the only payment option.
Many yard sale enthusiasts tend to visit more than one yard sale and move from home to home on the same day, which is another risk of COVID-19 spread in the community and may make contact tracing difficult.
COVID-19 can survive on surfaces for varying lengths of time, so if someone touches an item that others have also touched, they could unknowingly be exposed to the virus.

The EOC Advisory Committee is encouraged by our region’s low COVID-19 transmission rates and our ability to proceed to Stage 2 of the provincial re-opening framework. However, we want to emphasize how important it is to continue to be extra cautious and vigilant by taking safety precautions to protect yourself and others. This includes wearing face coverings when it isn’t possible to keep a physical distance of at least two (2) metres/six (6) feet; washing/sanitizing your hands often; and staying home if you are not feeling well.

As a community, we must continue to do everything possible to reduce the spread of COVID-19. If everyone continues to practice the recommended safety steps, our community will be in a better position to continue to keep the rate of COVID-19 transmission low.

About the EOC

The Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) Advisory Committee is made up of organizations within The City of Brantford, The County of Brant and Six Nations of the Grand River, working together to reduce the risk of community spread of Coronavirus COVID-19 in our region. The EOC Advisory Group is made up of representatives of the following organizations:

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Media Contact

Maria Visocchi – Emergency Information Officer
519.751.9900 ext. 5754 | mvisocchi@brantford.ca