Both Windsor-Essex and Lambton regions have been moved to new levels in the province’s COVID-19 Response Framework.
Windsor-Essex has been moved to the “Red – Control” level and Lambton has joined Chatham-Kent in the “Yellow – Protect” level.
Windsor-Essex confirmed another 52 new cases today while Lambton County has been one of the more stable regions across the province with only 15 active cases as of Friday afternoon.
Ontario reported another single-day record of 1,855 new infections on Friday. Health officials say it will be “at least two weeks” before any potential effect will be seen from lockdowns in Toronto and Peel.
In total, the Ontario government is moving five public health regions to new levels with stronger public health measures.
The province says these steps are being taken to stop the spread of COVID-19 in order to keep schools open, safeguard health system capacity, and protect the province’s most vulnerable populations. The regional levels and specific public health measures are set out in the Keeping Ontario Safe and Open Framework.
“The health and safety of all Ontarians is and will always be our top priority, that’s why we are following the advice of the Chief Medical Officer of Health and other health experts and making this adjustment today,” said Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “Over the last week we have seen a shift in the trends of key public health indicators in regions across the province, and by moving these five regions to a new level in the framework, we can ensure that the necessary targeted measures are in place to stop the spread of the virus and allow us to keep our schools and businesses open.”
The following public health regions will move from their current level in the framework to the following levels effective Monday, November 30, 2020 at 12:01 a.m.:
Red-Control – Windsor-Essex County Health Unit
Orange-Restrict – Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit
Yellow-Protect – Hastings Prince Edward Public Health, Lambton Public Health and Northwestern Health Unit
All other public health regions will remain at their current level. Please visit Ontario.ca/covidresponse for the full list of public health region classifications.
For long-term care homes, visitor restrictions apply to those homes in the public health unit regions that are in the Orange-Restrict level or higher. In addition, long-term care homes must implement recently enhanced testing requirements.
Trends in public health data will continue to be reviewed weekly to determine if public health units should stay where they are or be moved into a higher level. Public health units will stay in their level for a minimum of 28 days, or two COVID-19 incubation periods, at which time, the government will assess the impact of public health measures to determine if the public health unit should stay where they are or be moved to a different level. The Ministry of Health will continue to consult regularly with local medical officers of health on local context and conditions to help inform the classification of their public health unit region.
“As we continue in our fight against this second wave of COVID-19, the need to follow public health advice has never been greater,” said Dr. David Williams, Chief Medical Officer of Health. “All Ontarians are urged to adhere to the organized public event and social gathering limits in their region and avoid any non-essential travel in order to reduce the risk of exposure and ensure the continued safety of the community.”
The province urges all Ontarians to avoid close contact with anyone not living in the same household. People who live alone may have exclusive close contact with one additional household to prevent feelings of isolation and mitigate against negative mental health impacts.
