The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit‘s jurisdiction will move into the orange COVID-19 colour category Tuesday after Ontario’s stay-at-home order is lifted.
On Friday, the province provided an update on the stay-at-home order which will be lifted for many regions as of 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 16.
For the HKPR District Health Unit, the region will go to orange level. Prior to the stay-at-home order on Dec. 26, the health unit was in the yellow level of Ontario’s COVID-19 framework.
On Friday, the health unit reported 69 active cases of COVID-19 in its jurisdiction with nine active outbreaks. Medical officer of health Dr. Ian Gemmill urges caution as more businesses will be eligible to reopen.
“While our legal obligation to limit travel and gatherings will end when the stay-at-home order is lifted, we still have a moral obligation to continue doing all we can to stop the spread of COVID-19,” he stated.
“I am pleading with people not to gather with others and to continue to stay home and only go out for essential reasons.”
A new COVID-19 variant was reported in Port Hope earlier this week. Gemmill cautions the variants are more easily spread and could contribute to a sudden surge in infections.
“We may be open for business, but we can’t assume it’s business as usual,” he said. “Until more people are vaccinated and we can get COVID-19 under control, we must continue doing all we can to stop the spread. Otherwise, we will lose the momentum we’ve gained over the past six weeks of the shutdown.”
Among the changes under the orange level are:
- Restaurants/bars can reopen for in-person dining while continuing to offer takeout, pickup and delivery.
- Worship services, weddings and funerals can resume with limitations.
- Gyms and fitness clubs can again open their doors to members, with limitations.
- In-person shopping can resume at retail stores and malls.
- Personal care services such as barbers, hairdressers, nail salons and tattoo studios can resume with restrictions.
The move to orange also means small social gatherings are once again allowed at private homes, backyards and parks between people from different households. Up to 10 people can gather indoors and up to 25 people outdoors. Masks must be worn, and people need to stay two metres apart from anyone who is outside of their household.
The colour code for each area is reviewed weekly by the Ontario Ministry of Health.
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