Simcoe County and Muskoka District will once again be entering the red zone of the province's COVID-19 related restrictions and control measures.
Under the colour-coded framework, red zone restrictions prohibit gatherings larger than five people indoors and 25 people outdoors. Restaurants can have up to 10 patrons seated indoors, must close by 10 p.m. and must stop selling alcohol by 9 p.m. Retail shops, ski hills, and some personal care services are permitted where face coverings can be worn.
Gyms and recreation facilities are also limited to ten people per room.
The province updated the framework to include new rules for retail shops. In the red zone, all retail stores can remain open at 50 per cent capacity, which includes big-box stores. Grocery and convenience stores, as well as pharmacies, can have up to 75 capacity indoors under red zone restrictions.
Cinemas and performing arts facilities are required to remain closed in red zone regions.
The region's medical officer of health, Dr. Charles Gardner, is still urging people to stay at home except for essential trips even when the stay-at-home order is lifted.
"It is very wise of us all if we continue to abide by a stay-at-home approach,” he said. “It will cease to be an order but it would remain as an approach that is important for reducing transmission in the community.”
The health unit is also urging people not to have any social gatherings.
This week the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit reported 136 new COVID Cases, which is down from 284 new cases reported last week.
As of today, 150 local cases have also been confirmed as the B.1.1.7 variant strain that originated in the UK.
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Neighbouring Grey Bruce, which includes The Blue Mountains and several ski hills, will enter yellow next week when the stay-at-home order lifts on Feb. 16.
In the yellow category restrictions, gatherings can be up to 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors. Restaurants must stop serving alcohol by 11 p.m. and indoor seating capacity is limited to the number of patrons that can be seated with two-metre distance or impermeable barriers between tables.
Gyms can have up to 50 people in indoor areas, but class sizes must be limited to ten people.
You can read more about the restrictions here.
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The province announced today that twenty-seven health unit regions will be transitioning out of the shutdown into a revised COVID-19 Response Framework starting at 12:01 a.m. on Feb. 16.
Four high-risk regions — Peel, Toronto, York and North Bay Parry Sound District — where the case numbers have been the highest — will keep the shutdown and stay-at-home measures until at least Feb. 22.
Three regions — Hastings and Prince Edward Counties Health Unit, Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox Addington Health Unit, and Renfrew County and District Health Unit — moved into the green zone of the COVID-19 Regional Response Framework Feb. 10.
-With files from Maija Hoggett
