Waterloo Region likely to see red on Friday, more COVID-19 restrictions

Waterloo Region’s quick spin cycle through the province’s colour-coded COVID-19 pandemic response system appears likely to continue this Friday, according to its top doctor.

Acting Medical Officer of Health Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang told reporters Monday that she has advocated a move by the region into the red zone when the province’s next changes are announced on Nov. 20.

“I continue to support a move to red, because that’s where we are right now,” she said.

She pointed to a number of metrics that justify the move, including a tripling of case rates over the past two weeks, an expanding number of outbreaks and an increase in hospitalizations.

“We are speeding fully into the red zone,” Wang said, “if we do not make major changes now, and will continue towards the lockdown zone.”

The region was moved from green to yellow two Fridays ago and then shifted to orange last Friday. Those changes just came into effect on Monday.

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If Waterloo is moved to the red zone on Friday, it will see some businesses close while gyms, indoor fitness centres and event spaces limited to just 10 people.

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“Starting today, we need to dramatically reduce our social interactions,” she said, asking area residents to make changes to avoid further restrictions.

“We need to stay home and only go out for essential purposes, like going to work, school, getting groceries, keeping a medical appointment or doing essential exercise.”

Wang also asked people “to avoid social interactions with friends, with coworkers outside of work and with extended family outside of our households.”

The doctor says she could simply move the area into the red zone without provincial approval.

“If a medical officer of health were to layer additional restrictions onto a region in orange so that they would mirror the restrictions in a red zone, the businesses that would be affected would not be eligible for financial compensation that is available to businesses in areas which have been placed in the red zone by the province,” Wang explained.