London is moving into the red zone starting Tuesday
CBC News | Posted: March 29, 2021 6:20 PM | Last Updated: March 29, 2021
There are currently 434 known active cases in the region
Middlesex-London is moving to the red-control zone of the province's COVID-19 response framework starting Tuesday.
"As a result of worsening trends of key health indicators, our government is taking immediate action to put stronger public health measures in place in the Middlesex-London public health region," said Christine Elliott, deputy premier and minister of health in a statement.
"As we continue to see the rates of transmission increase throughout the province, we all must continue doing our part and follow public health measures and advice to stop the spread of COVID-19 and protect our hospital and health system capacity."
The decision comes as case counts saw a steady increase over the last week, with 339 positive tests. The number of known active cases in the region shot up 136 per cent in the same time period, to 434.
The current incident rate is up to 64.4 cases per 100,000 people. The Middlesex London Health Unit is also reporting an increase in cases screened as variants of concern, with six confirmed and 132 screened.
"Based on the current situation in the Middlesex-London area, it was decided that stronger public health measures were urgently needed to help ensure the continued health and safety of people in the region," said Dr. David Williams, Ontario's chief medical officer of health in a statement.
"As we continue to see some alarming trends in health indicators across the province all Ontarians are urged to remain vigilant and follow all public health and workplace safety measures to minimize further transmission."
Everyone is being encouraged to limit gatherings, physically distance, wear masks, frequently wash hands and stay home as much as possible.
The provinces decision to move Middlesex-London into red zone was at the request of Dr. Chris Mackie, the medical officer of health for the region. The move to the red zone will take effect at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, March 30.
These are the restrictions for the red zone:
- Social gatherings limited to five people indoors, 25 people outdoors.
- Religious services (including weddings and funerals) limited to 30 per cent capacity indoors, with a maximum of 100 people outdoors.
- Restaurants limited 50 per cent capacity, or 50 patrons seated for indoor dining, with members of the same household only and space either two meters apart or separated by a barrier. Patrons must answer screening questions when they arrive. No dancing, singing or live performances are permitted and night clubs can only operate as restaurants or bars with last call at 9 p.m. All must close at 10 p.m.
- Sports and fitness facilities are limited to 10 people in classes and 10 people in areas with weights and exercise equipment.
- Personal care services limited to procedures where patrons are masked for the procedure. Steam rooms, saunas and whirlpools must close.
- Movie theatres and performing arts facilities will be closed unless being used for a rehearsal or performing a recorded or broadcast performance.
- Full details can be found on the Ontario website.