Ontario to move back to implementing colour-coded zones
UPDATE: According to GuelphToday, Guelph will move into the Red-Control level when the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph region returns to the COVID-19 response framework on Feb. 16.
Along with most other regions in Ontario, the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (WDG) region will remain under the stay-at-home order until Feb. 16 before returning to a revised COVID-19 response framework.
Ontario’s second provincial emergency was allowed to terminate yesterday as the number of daily cases across the province have begun to fall.
According to GuelphToday, Ontario counted “the lowest total since early November” with 1,022 cases on Feb. 9. Only one of those cases belonged to Guelph and none belonged to Wellington County.
A return to the COVID-19 response framework includes an adherence to the five colour-coded zones of public health measures ranging from green “prevent” to grey “lockdown.”
The WDG Public Health unit has yet to specify which measure the region will adopt once the stay-at-home order lifts on Feb. 16.
The overall drop in cases has also allowed elementary schools and high schools in the region to return to face-to-face learning.
Meanwhile, the number of vaccinated persons continues to increase. WDG Public Health has given out 8,036 vaccinations to date.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated in a media briefing that Canada is currently expecting an increase in vaccine shipments next week, and he assured that the country “is still very much on track for tens of millions of doses into the spring.”
For those traveling across the land border for non-essential travel regardless of their vaccination status, a negative PCR COVID-19 test no older than 72 hours must be produced. Non-essential travellers without a test will be expected to pay a penalty and fine, and they will be isolated until they can produce test results.
Trudeau has also updated the COVID-19 financial support programs, stating that those who made less than $75,000 taxable income and applied for the programs “will not have to pay interest on 2020 tax debt until 2022.”
Additionally, “those who applied for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) based on their gross income (not their net income) won’t have to pay that benefit back, as long as they are otherwise eligible to receive the payment.”
Please visit www.theontarion.com/submit to find out how you can share your work with The Ontarion.
Very informative