{"id":91625,"date":"2020-11-20T17:22:34","date_gmt":"2020-11-20T22:22:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/huntsville.dopperonline.ca\/?p=91625"},"modified":"2020-11-20T17:37:12","modified_gmt":"2020-11-20T22:37:12","slug":"simcoe-muskoka-moves-to-orange-level-in-provinces-covid-19-framework","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/doppleronline.ca\/huntsville\/simcoe-muskoka-moves-to-orange-level-in-provinces-covid-19-framework\/","title":{"rendered":"Simcoe Muskoka moves to orange “Restrict” level in province’s COVID-19 framework"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Starting on Monday, November 23, Simcoe Muskoka will move to the orange “Restrict” level of the province’s COVID-19 response framework<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

Premier Doug Ford announced the decision today, which also moved the Peel and Toronto health regions into full lockdown.<\/p>\n

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“With the numbers rising rapidly in certain regions, we have to make the tough, but necessary decisions now to protect our hospitals, long-term care and retirement homes, and every person in this province,” said Premier Ford. “We cannot afford a province-wide lockdown, so we are taking preventative action today by moving Toronto and Peel into Lockdown level restrictions and other regions into higher levels of restrictions. We need to take decisive action to stop the spread of this deadly virus.”<\/p>\n

A news release from the province noted that public health units “will stay in their level for a minimum of 28 days, or two COVID-19 incubation periods, at which time the government will assess the impact of public health measures to determine if the public health unit should stay where they are or be moved to a different level.”<\/p>\n

Although cases in Muskoka have remained low to date\u2014there have been 89 confirmed cases in the region<\/a><\/span> since the pandemic began, six of which are currently active\u2014Simcoe County has seen much higher numbers and has 232 active cases, of which 10 are in hospital.<\/p>\n

Comments by Dr. Charles Gardner, Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit’s medical officer of health, in his weekly briefing on November 17 foreshadowed today’s announcement of the region’s move from the yellow “Protect” level to the orange “Restrict” level. He noted during that briefing that if numbers in the health unit’s catchment area continued to rise, more restrictions would be needed.<\/p>\n

Gardner also said that moving the region to the orange level would require some further control measures, but that they are not as drastic as those in the red “Control” level. Among the changes that residents can expect as a result of the move to the orange “Restrict” level are:<\/p>\n