The Municipality of Sioux Lookout is not moving in step with the rest of the province when it comes to the removal of masking and capacity limits in municipal facilities.
Sioux Lookout leadership says masking and capacity limits will remain in effect for municipal facilities such as the Recreation Centre, Sioux Lookout Memorial Arena and Sioux Lookout Memorial Airport, due to the high number of COVID-19 cases in the region.
“COVID-19 positivity rates in our area, while declining, are still quite high,” explained Sioux Lookout’s Chief Administrative Officer, Michelle Larose.
As of March 18, the Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority is reporting a total of 518 active COVID-19 cases across their catchment area, which includes 30 First Nation communities in the Kenora and Kiiwetinoong ridings.
Active cases include 203 in Deer Lake First Nation, 37 in Kasabonika Lake First Nation, 34 in North Spirit Lake First Nation, 146 in Pikangikum First Nation, 27 in Sandy Lake First Nation and a number of smaller amounts of cases across a variety of communities in the region.
The Northwestern Health Unit is reporting a total of 236 on-reserve and 3 off-reserve cases of COVID-19 in the Sioux Lookout health hub, as of March 21.
“As a result, we’re keeping our existing public safety measures in place to protect our staff and our community,” adds Larose. “We will still require staff and members of the public to wear masks and self-screen when entering our buildings, including the airport terminal building.”
The municipality notes that proof of vaccination requirements are no longer needed. Residents are also reminded that businesses still have the right to enforce mandatory masking if they choose to, despite the provincial mandate ending yesterday morning.
Across the province, masks will remain in high-risk settings like hospitals, long-term care homes and public transit settings until April 27.
The NWHU is also still recommending residents wear their masks, as they say the region’s case rate of 294.3 per 100,000 is the highest in the province - far surpassing Ontario’s average of 75 cases per 100,000 people.
In a recent study of over 500 people, a cloth mask helped lower the odds of testing positive for COVID-19 by 56 per cent, a surgical mask reduced your risk by 66 per cent, while an N95 mask lowered your odds by 83 per cent.