Guelph’s medical officer of health says she has recommended to Ontario’s chief medical officer that the city be moved to the “red-control” level of the provincial COVID-19 response framework.
Dr. Nicola Mercer said the region, which also includes Wellington and Dufferin counties, has seen a significant and troubling increase in cases over the past week.
“I want to tell every resident of our region in the strongest possible terms, that COVID-19 is spreading very quickly in our community. The rate at which cases continue to grow — especially in the last few days — requires immediate action,” Mercer said.
Since Dec. 1, the city has gone from having 50 active cases to 111 and hospitalizations have gone from a single patient to seven.
If Guelph is moved to the red zone, it will see more stringent measures put in place, such as limiting capacity at restaurants, casinos, meeting and event spaces, gyms and indoor fitness studios to just 10 people.
The City of Guelph has already announced that pools and skating rinks at city-owned facilities would be closed as well.
“Moving to red will place significant pressure on every resident and business in our region,” Mercer noted. “My preference is always to use less-intrusive and targeted approaches, but the current situation requires we consider all the tools available to us to halt the spread of the virus.”
If the province follows Dr. Mercer’s recommendation, the change would be announced on Friday and take effect on Monday.
The earliest Guelph would be eligible to move back to orange would be 28 days from Dec. 14.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect that gyms and indoor fitness centres will remain open at limited capacity if Guelph goes into the “red-control” level.