By Pepper Parr
November 3rd, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he will ease restrictions on the province’s COVID-19 hot spots, hours after health authorities reported a single-day record (1050) in new cases and in contrast with Quebec’s recent extension of “red-zone” measures.
Ontario rolled out a new colour-coded system Tuesday that will determine when and to what extent coronavirus restrictions are placed on parts of the province.
This five part colour coded template may help the provincial get out a consistent message. Up until now the messaging has been to broad in its application. Time will tell if it can be put to effective use.
Areas with the lowest case counts, positivity rates and community transmission levels will fall into a green category, with the most permissive rules. The system then moves upward through yellow, orange and red categories, with increasingly strict measures, topped off by a grey “lockdown” level where maximum measures would be implemented.
The framework goes into effect this weekend, allowing restrictions previously placed on hot spots including Toronto, Peel Region and Ottawa to lighten. The softer rules mean gyms and cinemas can reopen and indoor dining will resume — with capacity limits — following closures under “modified Stage 2” measures imposed on Oct. 10.
About 80 per cent of the new 1050 cases were in the hot spots of Toronto and the surrounding regions of Peel, Halton, York and Durham.
The numbers for Burlington, which are collected by the Public Heath Unit for Halton Region stand at 53 active cases with 15 death to date.
The numbers began to climb when students went back to school and some people began to return to work. The colder weather has increased the infections – and the really cold weather is not yet upon us.
In other new: The town of Aylmer, Ont., has declared a state of emergency ahead of a planned demonstration against COVID-19 restrictions this weekend.
Mayor Mary French moved the town of nearly 7,500 people to high alert this week in anticipation of what local police described as an “anti-masking freedom march” on Saturday.
Whatever the message is today – it doesn’t appear to be getting through,
How to muddy the waters even more than they already are? If we were confused before, just take a look at all the measures being proposed. What’s listed above is just one of many.
A healthy economy is directly related to a healthy population. Stay home, wear a mask when out, order in food, practice physical distancing and keep within your immediate family bubble, if you want to try to flatten this uptick in Covid cases.
This has become way too political.