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4 responses to “Cures For The Corona Virus Blues”

1. 

   Toby Barrett

   June 25, 2021

   UPDATE Ontario moving to Step Two of Roadmap to Reopen on June 30

   With key public health and health care indicators continuing to improve, the province-wide vaccination rate now surpassing the targets outlined in the province’s Roadmap to Reopen, and on the recommendation of the Chief Medical Officer of Health, the Ontario government is moving the province into Step Two of its Roadmap to Reopen at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, June 30, 2021.

   Reaching Step Two ahead of the target date, and seeing local COVID case numbers drop, is a tribute to the vaccine uptake. Our vaccination rates are encouraging and bode well for the summer as we move to Step Two on June 30. It’s vital we stay the course. For example, the Delta variant is a real threat and it shouldn’t be discounted – one reason we’re asking a cautious and gradual approach to reopening the province.

   “Because of the tireless work of our health care heroes, and the record setting success of our vaccine rollout, we are able to move into Step Two ahead of schedule on June 30 with the support of our public health experts” said Premier Doug Ford. “We are proceeding safely with the re-opening of our province and will continue to work around the clock until the job is done.”

   Before entering Step Two, the province needed to see continued improvement in key public health and health care indicators, including hospitalizations, ICU occupancy and the weekly cases incidence rates. After entering Step One, during the period of June 11 to 17, 2021, the provincial case rate decreased by 24.6 per cent. As of June 22, the number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs is 305, including 10 patients from Manitoba, as compared to 450 two weeks ago. The province expects these positive trends to continue over the coming days before entering Step Two.

   “Due to a continued improvement in key indicators, Ontario is ready to enter Step Two of our Roadmap, allowing us to safely and gradually ease public health measures while continuing to stop the spread of COVID-19,” said Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “Thank you to the Ontarians who rolled up their sleeves to help us reach this exciting milestone. Every dose administered brings us one step closer to the things we’ve missed, so please sign up to receive the vaccine when it’s your turn.”

   Step Two of the Roadmap focuses on the resumption of more outdoor activities and limited indoor services with small numbers of people where face coverings are worn, with other restrictions in place. This includes, but is not limited to:

   Outdoor social gatherings and organized public events with up to 25 people;

   Indoor social gatherings and organized public events with up to 5 people;

   Essential and other select retail permitted at 50 per cent capacity;

   Non-essential retail permitted at 25 per cent capacity;

   Personal care services where face coverings can be worn at all times, and at 25 per cent capacity and other restrictions;

   Outdoor dining with up to 6 people per table, with exceptions for larger households and other restrictions;

   Indoor religious services, rites, or ceremonies, including wedding services and funeral services permitted at up to 25 per cent capacity of the particular room;

   Outdoor fitness classes limited to the number of people who can maintain 3 metres of physical distance;

   Outdoor sports without contact or modified to avoid contact, with no specified limit on number of people or teams participating, with restrictions;

   Overnight camps for children operating in a manner consistent with the safety guidelines produced by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health;

   Outdoor sport facilities with spectators permitted at 25 per cent capacity;

   Outdoor concert venues, theatres and cinemas, with spectators permitted at 25 per cent capacity;

   Outdoor horse racing and motor speedways, with spectators permitted at 25 per cent capacity;

   Outdoor fairs, rural exhibitions, festivals, permitted at 25 per cent capacity and with other restrictions.

   Please view the regulation for the full list of public health and workplace safety measures that need to be followed.

   While the province has surpassed Step Three vaccination targets, Ontario may remain in Step Two for a period of approximately 21 days to allow the most recent vaccinations to reach their full effectiveness and to evaluate any impacts of moving to Step Two on key public health and health care indicators. When it is determined to be safe, the province will promptly move to Step Three of the Roadmap to Reopen.

   “Due to the continued commitment of Ontarians adhering to public health measures and going out to get vaccinated, we have seen our key health indicators continue to improve across the province,” said Dr. David Williams, Chief Medical Officer of Health. “While we can now begin preparing to ease public health measures under the Roadmap, the fight against COVID-19 is not over and we must continue adhering to the public health advice and measures currently in place to maintain this great progress.”

   For more information, contact MPP Toby Barrett at 519-428-0446 or toby.barrett@pc.ola.org Please mention The Silo when contacting.

2. 

   The Silo

   April 15, 2021

   ONTARIO UPDATE
   Good weather to get outdoors, with caution……

   I continue to receive questions about the Stay-At-Home order resulting from Coronavirus caseload increases across Ontario.

   With spring upon us, many questions have been raised about marinas and boat ramps. Here are some answers we received from government ministries. Due to the changing nature of the variants and vaccine availability, this information may change. Please note the local health unit and/or the municipality may be imposing restrictions above and beyond those of the province.

   With appropriate health and physical distancing safeguards in place, marinas, boat clubs, yacht clubs and boat launches are permitted to open under Ontario’s stay-at-home order. Municipal boat launches that are not part of a marina are not required to be closed. However, municipalities may still choose to close boat launches. Further, business owners may have additional restrictions. Information for businesses is at 1-855-216-3090.

   Recreational boating is permitted and boaters can have full access to their vessel. With appropriate health and physical distancing safeguards, marinas and boat clubs can operate a grocery or convenience store on the premises and can provide fuel, watercraft repair servicing, docking and launching. Restaurants, clubhouses, pools, meeting rooms, fitness centres and other similar recreational facilities on the premises must remain closed to the public, although restaurants can offer take-out, and delivery service. Washrooms and first aid facilities may remain open.

   Similarly, trailer parks can be open, but with restrictions. For example:

   • Campsites must be made available only for trailers and recreational vehicles that are used by individuals who are in need of housing, or are permitted to be there by the terms of a full season contract

   • Only campsites with electricity, water service and facilities for sewage disposal may be provided for use.

   • All recreational facilities in the campground and all other shared facilities in the campground, other than washrooms and showers, must be closed.

   • Other areas of the seasonal campground must be closed to the general public and must only be opened for the purpose of preparing the seasonal campground for reopening.

   The Ontario Government recognizes the use of outdoor recreational amenities where individuals can physically distance, such as golf courses, parks and recreational areas and trails provide important opportunities for individuals and families to exercise. That is why these remain open subject to restrictions.

   To help stop the spread of COVID-19, Ontario Parks are temporarily closing campground and backcountry campsites and roofed accommodations, such as cabins, yurts and cottages until further notice. Further decisions on when camping will resume have not yet been made.

   Outdoor garden centres and plant nurseries, and indoor greenhouses that engage in sales to the public, can operate with a 25 per cent capacity limit and a restriction on hours of operation to between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. Hardware stores face the same restrictions as most other retail, with in-person shopping prohibited. Curbside pick-up or delivery is permitted until 9:00 p.m. However, garden centres attached to big box stores and hardware stores can operate with the same restrictions as standalone garden centres.

   If you do engage in fishing or hunting, please do so close to home, and only with members of your household. The province is not suspending license issuing.

   There is no emergency order that restricts access to cottages or secondary residences. Check with your municipality for local rules.

   More details: https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/200082 or https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/61029/ontario-enacts-provincial-emergency-and-stay-at-home-order

   Toby Barrett MPP for Haldimand-Norfolk.

3. 

   The Silo

   April 9, 2021

   Ontario Enacts Another Emergency and Stay-at-Home Order

   Yesterday, on Thursday, April 8, 2021, Ontario issued a Provincial Emergency and Stay-at-Home order requiring everyone to remain at home except for essential purposes. This includes going to the grocery store or pharmacy, accessing health care services (including being vaccinated), outdoor exercise, or for work that cannot be done remotely.

   Recently, COVID case rates, hospitalizations and hospital ICU occupancy have been increasing rapidly and are threatening to overwhelm our health care system and its ability to care for patients.

   The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in the province has increased by 28.2 per cent between March 28 and April 5, 2021. In addition, between March 28 and April 5, Ontario has seen the number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care escalate by 25 per cent. The province is reaching a tipping point despite Ontario taking every possible measure to increase capacity and to continue daily surgeries and procedures.

   As a result, the Ontario government, in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health and other health experts, declared a third provincial emergency under s 7.0.1 (1) of the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act.

   As Ontario’s health care capacity is threatened, the Stay-at-Home order, and other new and existing public health and workplace safety measures will work to preserve public health system capacity, safeguard vulnerable populations, allow for progress to be made with vaccinations and ultimately save lives.

   Schools are safe. The data speaks for itself — 99 per cent of students and staff have no active cases. Regrettably, school disruptions have a significant and highly inequitable impact on students, parents and society. Keeping schools and childcare open is critical to the mental health and well-being of Ontario children and youth. With strict safety measures in place, schools and childcare will remain open for in-person care and learning in public health regions where permitted. In addition, beginning this week, education workers who provide direct support to students with special education needs across the province, and all education workers in select hot spot areas, will be eligible to register for vaccination.

   Vaccinations are not reaching the highest risk communities, delaying the impact as an effective preventative strategy. As part of Phase Two of its COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan, people living in regions with the highest rates of transmission are prioritized to receive a vaccine, starting with the most at-risk in the Peel and Toronto public health regions. This initiative will be expanding to additional “hot spot” regions and vulnerable populations based on established patterns of transmission, severe illness and mortality.

   Health and safety inspectors and provincial offenses offices will increase inspections and enforcement at essential businesses in regional hot zones to continue protecting essential workers while on the job. To test for asymptomatic staff in key sectors such as manufacturing, warehousing, supply chain, mining, construction and food processing rapid tests continue to be deployed.

   By imposing these strict new measures, we will keep people safe while allowing our vaccination program to reach more people, starting with our high-risk population and identified hot spots. Although this is difficult, I urge everyone to follow these public health measures and together we will defeat this deadly virus.

   This Stay-at-Home order will control the surge; protect access to care, and increase the chance of the summer people want.

   Toby Barrett MPP for Haldimand-Norfolk

4. 

   Bobbi-Ann Brady Dwornikiewcz

   April 6, 2021

   Ontario implements April province-wide Emergency Brake

   All 34 public health unit regions to move into shutdown
   TORONTO —The Ontario government, in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health and other health experts, is imposing a province-wide emergency brake as a result of an alarming surge in case numbers and COVID-19 hospitalizations across the province. The province-wide emergency brake will be effective Saturday, April 3, 2021, at 12:01 a.m. and the government intends to keep this in place for at least four weeks.

   Details were provided today by Premier Doug Ford, Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, Dr. David Williams, Chief Medical Officer of Health, and Dr. Adalsteinn (Steini) Brown, Co-Chair of the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table.

   “We are facing a serious situation and drastic measures are required to contain the rapid spread of the virus, especially the new variants of concern,” said Premier Ford. “I know pulling the emergency brake will be difficult on many people across the province, but we must try and prevent more people from getting infected and overwhelming our hospitals. Our vaccine rollout is steadily increasing, and I encourage everyone who is eligible to get vaccinated. That is our best protection against this deadly virus.”

   “During the emergency shutdown, schools will remain open for in-person learning with strict safety measures in place. The spring break will continue as planned for the week of April 12.

   Ontario’s key indicators and latest modelling show that additional measures must be taken. From March 26 to 28, 2021, provincial case rates have increased by 7.7 per cent to 101.1 cases per 100,000 people. Current COVID-19 related ICU admissions are already over the peak of wave two and hospitals in regional hotspots will need to further ramp down scheduled surgeries. COVID-19 related ICU admissions are projected to exceed 650 beds in a few weeks. These increases are being driven by COVID-19 variants, which are transmitted easily and result in a higher risk of death and hospitalization, including in younger populations.

   The province-wide emergency brake would put in place time-limited public health and workplace safety measures to help to stop the rapid transmission of COVID-19 variants in communities, protect hospital capacity and save lives. Measures include, but are not limited to:

   Prohibiting indoor organized public events and social gatherings and limiting the capacity for outdoor organized public events or social gatherings to a 5-person maximum, except for gatherings with members of the same household (the people you live with) or gatherings of members of one household and one other person from another household who lives alone.

   Restricting in-person shopping in all retail settings, including a 50 per cent capacity limit for supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience stores, indoor farmers’ markets, other stores that primarily sell food and pharmacies, and 25 per cent for all other retail including big box stores, along with other public health and workplace safety measures;
   Prohibiting personal care services;

   Prohibiting indoor and outdoor dining. Restaurants, bars and other food or drink establishments will be permitted to operate by take-out, drive-through, and delivery only;
   Prohibiting the use of facilities for indoor or outdoor sports and recreational fitness (e.g., gyms) with very limited exceptions;
   Requiring day camps to close; and,
   Limiting capacity at weddings, funerals, and religious services, rites or ceremonies to 15 per cent occupancy per room indoors, and to the number of individuals that can maintain two metres of physical distance outdoors. This does not include social gatherings associated with these services such as receptions, which are not permitted indoors and are limited to five people outdoors.

   On the advice of the Chief Medical Officer of Health, all Ontarians are asked to limit trips outside the home to necessities such as food, medication, medical appointments, supporting vulnerable communit y members, or exercising outdoors with members of their household. Employers in all industries should make every effort to allow employees to work from home.

   “Ontario, like many other provinces and jurisdictions around the world, is in the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and immediate action is required to help turn the tide,” said Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “Implementing a provincewide emergency brake was not an easy decision to make and is not one we take lightly. As we continue to vaccinate more Ontarians, the end is in sight, but right now these necessary measures will help to stop the spread of variants in our communities, protect capacity in our health care system, and save lives.”

   The current COVID-19 Response Framework: Keeping Ontario Safe and Open, will be paused when the provincewide emergency brake comes into effect. The impacts of these time-limited measures will be evaluated throughout the next four weeks to determine if it is safe to lift any restrictions or if they need to be extended. With more than $1.6 billion invested to protect against COVID-19, schools remain safe for students and staff. Keeping schools open is critical to the mental health and well-being of Ontario youth.

   In order to support working families, child care will remain open during the shutdown. Child care settings will continue to adhere to stringent health and safety measures so that they remain safe places for children and staff.

   “In the last few weeks a significant increase in COVID-19 cases and variants of concern has been observed across Ontario which has put considerable strain on our public health and health care systems,” said Dr. David Williams, Chief Medical Officer of Health. “Implementing a provincewide shutdown is needed to bring the third wave of this pandemic under control so that we can save lives, keep our education system open and allow our vaccination program to take hold.”

   QUICK FACTS
   Based on the latest modelling data, variants of concern are continuing to grip the province and drive this third wave of the pandemic. Case rates are rising, younger Ontarians are becoming sicker and ICU capacity is at risk of becoming overwhelmed without stronger public health and workplace safety measures in place.

   The 2021 Budget, Ontario’s Action Plan: Protecting People’s Health and Our Economy, brings the government’s total investments to protect the economy to $23.3 billion. This includes an estimated $3.4 billion to support approximately 120,000 small businesses across Ontario via two rounds of the Ontario Small Business Support Grant. Applications for the Ontario Small Business Support Grant have been extended for one week through April 7 and all eligible businesses are encouraged to apply.

   Additionally, the new Ontario Tourism and Hospitality Small Business Support Grant will provide an estimated $100 million in one-time payments of $10,000 to $20,000 to eligible small businesses in the tourism and hospitality sector. Businesses required to close or significantly restrict services due to provincial public health measures can continue to apply for property tax and energy cost rebates. Visit Ontario.ca/COVIDsupport for more information on Ontario’s supports for businesses.

   To ensure that every person who requires care in a hospital can access a bed, the government has invested more than $5.1 billion to support hospitals since the start of the pandemic, creating more than 3,100 additional hospital beds and 500 critical care and high intensity medicine beds. This includes $1.8 billion in 2021–22 to continue providing care for COVID-19 patients, addressing surgical backlogs and keeping pace with patient needs through its Ontario’s Action Plan: Protecting People’s Health and Our Economy.

   The province continues to deploy rapid testing in workplaces, including up to 300,000 COVID-19 tests per week for asymptomatic staff in key sectors such as manufacturing, warehousing, supply chain, mining, construction and food processing. More than 4.7 million rapid antigen tests have been sent to over 1,150 workplaces, including 89 essential industry sites, under the Provincial Antigen Screening Program.

   The Ontario government continues to implement its High Priority Communities Strategy to provide targeted supports to communities hardest hit by COVID-19. In these communities 1,000 Community Ambassadors have been mobilized, 30 community testing sites have been opened and nearly 36,000 PPE kits have been distributed to community members.
   Get tested if you have COVID-19 symptoms, or if you have been advised of exposure by your local public health unit or through the COVID Alert App. Visit Ontario.ca/covidtest to find the nearest testing location.

   · Emergency orders O. Reg. 55/21 (Compliance Orders for Retirement Homes) and O. Reg. 8/21 (Enforcement of COVID-19 Measures) currently in force, under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, have been extended until April 19, 2021, as the province continues to deal with the impacts of COVID-19.

   For more information, contact MPP Toby Barrett at 519-428-0446 or toby.barrett@pc.ola.org Please mention The Silo when contacting.

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