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Ontario residents felt a more sense of normalcy last week as the provincial government announced an earlier start date to Step Two of the Roadmap to Reopen.
As of Wednesday at 12:01 a.m. the province will officially enter Step Two.
Kenora-Rainy River MPP Greg Rickford commented on the announcement.
“In Northwestern Ontario, we've done a terrific job. The Northwest Health Unit has done an extraordinary job. We promised the federal government if they gave us the vaccines, we would get them in arms, and our numbers here are terrific.” said Rickford
“I hope that that stage two can be abbreviated much like stage one. It feels right. I'm really happy to be part of the cause to get us opened a little quicker and onto the next stage.” added Rickford
As of June 23, 2021, over 76 per cent of the population in Ontario ages 18 and over have received one dose of the vaccine and 29 percent have received their second dose. More than 13.3 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine have been administered across the province.
Ontario has taken a more cautious approach to reopening, compared to provinces out west that have announced a full reopening in the coming weeks. This was due to the high case counts in many areas of the province and strains of the Delta variants as well. This accelerated start date means a lot to residents of Northwestern Ontario and across Ontario.
“We did our work we continue to be safe and acknowledge some of the restrictions that are still in place, but I think in the risk-reward sense we deserve the opportunity to move to stage two and hopefully in the not too distant future move to stage 3,” noted Rickford
Step Two of the Roadmap focuses on the continuation of more outdoor activities and limited indoor services with small numbers of people where face coverings are worn.
The province will be in Step Two for approximately 21 days to allow the vaccines to reach their full effectiveness and to evaluate any impacts of moving into Step Two on key public health and health care indicators. When it's been determined to be safe, the province will promptly move into Step Three of the Roadmap to Reopen.