The Ontario government is lifting more COVID-19 restrictions on Tuesday, but the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit says it will continue watching local virus trends.
Starting at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, all indoor capacity limits in Ontario businesses will be lifted. Along with that, though, comes the possibility of an increase of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. Acting Medical Officer of Health Doctor Shanker Nesathurai said just because capacity limits are being lifted, residents should not let their guard down.
"Public health services will continue to monitor the burden of the pandemic on the community," said Nesathurai. "We encourage people to engage in physical distancing and to stay at home when they're sick and to remain vigilant as we move forward over the next few weeks."
The Ontario Ministry of Health will no longer require places to ask for proof of vaccination where they are required. However, municipalities and private businesses still have the option of requiring people to show proof of having the vaccine.
"Municipalities have the discretion in the judgement they choose, and they are difficult decisions for municipalities and the managers of the facilities," said Nesathurai. "I think it's a prudent course given the provincial direction to be in alignment with provincial direction in Windsor-Essex for now."
The health unit reported a total of 233 new COVID-19 cases in high-risk settings since Saturday, though that number may be an underestimate due to current testing guidelines. No new deaths were reported, keeping the Windsor-Essex death toll at 576.
There are currently 283 active cases of COVID-19 in the region.
The health unit is monitoring a total of 20 active outbreaks. Nine of them are in LTC facilities, six are in the community, three are in hospital wards, and two are in workplaces.
Hospitalizations slowly dropped in Windsor-Essex over the weekend. As of 3 p.m. Monday, there was a total of 45 people being treated across the three hospital systems for the virus.
