With the stay-at-home order being lifted next week, the local health unit is addressing what that means for residents.
As of Wednesday, there were 11 active cases of COVID-19 in the region, with no new cases since a person at Smiths Falls District Collegiate Institute tested positive on Monday.
Medical Officer for the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit, Dr. Paula Stewart says if this pattern continues – we should be in the green colour restriction starting next Tuesday.
“If we continue to stay here then we will move into green on Tuesday, and if we have a surge in new cases by then, we’ll be moving to yellow,” Stewart said. “We’re used to that, and businesses and services are used to that because we were in the green zone for a bit of the fall and then moved to yellow.”
The province considers a range of criteria when determining the colour-zone, including the health system capacity.
Dr. Stewart says they also look at the case rate over a number of weeks and the percentage of positive cases.
“Out of all the tests being done, in order to stay in green, we can’t have more than about .5 percent to come back positive, which is pretty low,” Stewart said. “The testing is our way of saying what’s happening in the community as a whole. Those are two critical factors.”
New requirements include businesses posting clear and visible signage at all entrances, with detailed questions for screening, active screening of employees, and preparation of a work safety plan.
Dr. Stewart says we’ve been doing a good job keeping numbers low and we need to continue that.
“We’ve got to keep with the precautions, because if we as individuals follow the precautions, those are the things that will keep us safe, keep our families and friends safe, and just as important, keeping our businesses and services safe so that they can stay open.”
As for vaccinations, Dr. Stewart says they expect all remaining residents in long-term care homes across the health jurisdiction to receive their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by this week.
To find out more information, visit the Health Unit’s website.
