"Most of us have pushed through a cold and went to work or went out, it was just the way things were... it's not that way anymore."

That according to Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin. Instead, he says even mild respiratory symptoms should prompt people to hunker down.

"We all have to be on the same page, employers, employees, the public, we just can't be out and about when we show those symptoms," Roussin explains.

However, he says it's not the time for blame, admitting battling through a cold is likely something we've all done.

"But this is not part of our new normal," he says, adding staying home when you're ill is still the best defence against another spike of COVID-19 cases.

"We can't have people at workplaces who are showing signs of illnesses," he adds.

Anyone showing respiratory symptoms are encouraged to get tested for COVID-19.

Roussin says it's important to find cases early, have them isolated and conduct thorough contact investigations, and then isolate those contacts.