Modified Step Two begins today, Young Hoon offers comment

Starting today, the public health measures that were laid out by the government on Monday (Jan 3, 2022) come into effect and will last for at least 21 days.

The new measures will see a reduction of indoor and outdoor gathering limits, the closure of indoor dining, recreational facilities, and many more.

Along with the new measures, parents and guardians will have to adjust their schedules and daycare plans as all publicly funded and private schools will move to remote learning starting Wednesday until at least January 17.

This approach of safety measures is a modified version of Step Two of the Roadmap to Reopen plan.

Dr. Kit Young Hoon, Medical Officer of Health for the Northwestern Health Unit shared her comments on the new restrictions.

“I think they [Ontario] were making a decision based on the latest information, so the increase in hospitalizations and ICU admissions is significant,” said Young Hoon.

“At this point, the actions are reasonable considering some of the data trends that are being noted,” added Young Hoon.

These restrictions come after the province along with the NWHU reported significant increases in COVID-19 cases. On Monday (Jan 3, 2021), the NWHU reported a record high 256 cases, with 104 cases being from the Kenora Health Hub.

On December 31, 2021, the province reported a record-breaking 16,713 new cases, which was the fourth time since Christmas that record was broken.

The region's top doctor concluded by saying she is hopeful these new restrictions won’t last long.

These measures include:

• Reducing social gathering limits to five people indoors and 10 people outdoors.
• Limiting capacity at organized public events to five people indoors.
• Requiring businesses and organizations to ensure employees work remotely unless the nature of their work requires them to be on-site.
• Limiting capacity at indoor weddings, funerals, and religious services, rites and ceremonies to 50 per cent capacity of the particular room. Outdoor services are limited to the number of people that can maintain 2 metres of physical distance. Social gatherings associated with these services must adhere to the social gathering limits.
• Retail settings, including shopping malls, permitted at 50 per cent capacity. For shopping malls physical distancing will be required in line-ups, loitering will not be permitted and food courts will be required to close.
• Personal care services permitted at 50 per cent capacity and other restrictions. Saunas, steam rooms, and oxygen bars closed.
• Closing indoor meeting and event spaces with limited exceptions but permitting outdoor spaces to remain open with restrictions.
• Public libraries limited to 50 per cent capacity.
• Closing indoor dining at restaurants, bars and other food or drink establishments. Outdoor dining with restrictions, takeout, drive through and delivery is permitted.
• Restricting the sale of alcohol after 10 p.m. and the consumption of alcohol on-premise in businesses or settings after 11 p.m. with delivery and takeout, grocery/convenience stores and other liquor stores exempted.
• Closing indoor concert venues, theatres, cinemas, rehearsals and recorded performances permitted with restrictions.
• Closing museums, galleries, zoos, science centres, landmarks, historic sites, botanical gardens and similar attractions, amusement parks and waterparks, tour and guide services and fairs, rural exhibitions, and festivals. Outdoor establishments permitted to open with restrictions and with spectator occupancy, where applicable, limited to 50 per cent capacity.
• Closing indoor horse racing tracks, car racing tracks and other similar venues. Outdoor establishments permitted to open with restrictions and with spectator occupancy limited to 50 per cent capacity. Boat tours permitted at 50 per cent capacity.
• Closing indoor sport and recreational fitness facilities including gyms, except for athletes training for the Olympics and Paralympics and select professional and elite amateur sport leagues. Outdoor facilities are permitted to operate but with the number of spectators not to exceed 50 per cent occupancy and other requirements.
• All publicly funded and private schools will move to remote learning starting January 5 until at least January 17, subject to public health trends and operational considerations.
• School buildings would be permitted to open for child care operations, including emergency child care, to provide in-person instruction for students with special education needs who cannot be accommodated remotely and for staff who are unable to deliver quality instruction from home.
• During this period of remote learning, free emergency child care will be provided for school-aged children of health care and other eligible frontline workers.