Journal Staff
Sarnia-Lambton did not make the cut and will not advance to Stage 3 of Ontario’s economic reopening plan on Friday.
In the 24 health regions that are advancing, nearly all businesses and public spaces will be allowed to reopen, provided safety measures and restrictions remain in place, Premier Doug Ford said today.
Sarnia-Lambton is among 10 health regions being held back. In Stage 2, the existing gathering limit of 10 people will remain in place.
In the regions advancing to Stage 3, indoor gathering limits will increase to 50 people and outdoor gatherings can increase up to 100 people, subject to physical distancing requirements.
The government said the decision on when Sarnia-Lambton can enter Stage 3 will be made “in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health and local public health officials, and based on established criteria, including virus spread and containment, health system capacity, public health system capacity and incidence-tracking capacity.
The county has just two active COVID-19 cases, a number unchanged for the past week, Lambton Public Health reported today.
There are zero patients in local hospital with the virus, and public health workers are exceeding their targets for the percentage of new cases and new contacts reached within 24 hours.
While The county continues to perform well in key public health indicators the decision is made by a team at the provincial level, not locally, said Lambton Warden Bill Weber.
"Knowing that Lambton County entered Stage 2 one week later than many other municipalities in the province, and knowing that generally the province planned for up to four weeks before transitioning to the next stage, we anticipate that Lambton County could transition into Stage 3 as early as next week," he said.
Details about Stage 3 reopenings can be found on the Province of Ontario's website.
"We encourage all business owners and organizations to take this extra week to carefully review the requirements for reopening and make preparations for opening following the province's guidance documents," Weber said.