Bakers Journal

Actions taken to ‘stop the spread’ in Ontario

October 19, 2020
By Bakers Journal

Ontario moves York Region to modified Stage 2

Logo courtesy of the Government of Ontario

In consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health, the Public Health Measures Table, local medical officers of health and other health experts, the Ontario government is introducing additional health measures for York Region. This public health region will be subject to modified Stage 2 restrictions for a minimum of 28 days and will be reviewed on an ongoing basis.

Effective Monday, October 19, 2020 at 12:01 a.m., York Region joined Ottawa, Peel and Toronto public health regions in a modified Stage 2, as a result of their trends in public health indicators, including higher than average rates of COVID-19 transmission.

The government, in consultation with public health experts and local medical officers of health, use a range of criteria on an ongoing basis to determine if public health measures need to be adjusted.

In York Region, the number of cases and hospitalizations are currently trending upwards and further action is required to help stop the spread of the virus in this community. From October 3 to October 9, 2020 York Region’s case rate increased by 49 percent to 38.7 per 100,000 people, above the provincial average. The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in the region have doubled over the past week.

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The prohibited areas include:

  • Prohibiting indoor food and drink service in restaurants, bars and other food and drink establishments, including nightclubs and food court areas in malls;
  • Closing of: Indoor gyms and fitness centres (i.e., exercise classes and weight and exercise rooms); This includes their juice bars, coffee service areas or cafeterias
  • Meeting and event spaces to 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors with limited exemptions.

The Chief Medical Officer of Health continues to remind all Ontarians to:

  • Limit trips outside of home, except for essential purposes such as work where it is not possible to work from home, school, grocery shopping, medical appointments, and outdoor healthy physical activity.
  • Stay home if unwell, even with mild symptoms
  • Limit travel to other regions in the province, especially from higher transmission to lower transmission areas, for essential purposes only;
  • Practise physical distancing of at least two metres with those outside your household;
  • Wear a face covering when physical distancing is a challenge or where it is mandatory to do so; and
  • Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly; and
  • Follow social gathering and organized public event limits.


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