Windsor Essex Excluded From Stage 2 Reopening

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Windsor and Essex County will not be transitioning into Stage 2 of re-openings this week under the Ontario Government’s COVID-19 reopening strategy.

Windsor-Essex joins nine other regions that will “remain in Stage 1 until trends of key public health indicators demonstrate readiness to move into Stage 2.”

The government says they will provide weekly updates on the ongoing assessments of the excluded regions, and whether they are ready to move into Stage 2 by the end of that week.  The province’s Framework for Reopening plan says key public health indicators for moving to Stage 2 include virus spread and containment, health system capacity, public health system capacity, and incidence tracking capacity.

The province is allowing twenty-four other regions to transition into Stage 2 which will permit the re-opening of personal care services such as hair salons, beauty salons, day spas, piercings and tattoos, restaurants and bars in outdoor areas, shopping malls, film and tv production, tour and guide services, and others.

“We are able to make this announcement today because of the extraordinary effort of our frontline workers and every other person in the province who helped to stop the spread of this deadly virus,” said Premier Ford. “Entering Stage 2 means parts of the province will see more people back on the job and an opportunity to get back together with friends and family. Although this is extremely encouraging, I urge everyone to exercise caution and continue to follow public health advice as we are not out of the woods yet.”

The Province will allow the following regions to move into Stage 2 first:

• Algoma Public Health
• Brant County Health Unit
• Chatham-Kent Public Health
• Eastern Ontario Health Unit
• Grey Bruce Health Unit
• Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit
• Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
• Huron Perth Public Health
• Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington Public Health
• Leeds Grenville & Lanark District Health Unit
• Middlesex-London Health Unit
• North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit
• Northwestern Health Unit
• Ottawa Public Health
• Peterborough Public Health
• Porcupine Health Unit
• Public Health Sudbury & Districts
• Region of Waterloo Public Health and Emergency Services
• Renfrew County and District Health Unit
• Simcoe-Muskoka District Health Unit
• Southwestern Public Health
• Thunder Bay District Health Unit
• Timiskaming Health Unit
• Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health

The province says businesses and services permitted to reopen with proper health and safety measures in place in regions entering Stage 2 include:

• Outdoor dine-in services at restaurants, bars and other establishments, including patios, curbside, parking lots and adjacent properties;
• Select personal and personal care services with the proper health and safety measures in place, including tattoo parlours, barber shops, hair salons and beauty salons;
• Shopping malls under existing restrictions, including food services reopening for take-out and outdoor dining only;
• Tour and guide services, such as bike and walking, bus and boat tours, as well as tasting and tours for wineries, breweries and distilleries;
• Water recreational facilities such as outdoor splash pads and wading pools, and all swimming pools;
• Beach access and additional camping at Ontario Parks;
• Camping at private campgrounds;
• Outdoor-only recreational facilities and training for outdoor team sports, with limits to enable physical distancing;
• Drive-in and drive-through venues for theatres, concerts, animal attractions and cultural appreciation, such as art installations;
• Film and television production activities, with limits to enable physical distancing; and
• Weddings and funerals, with limits on social gatherings to 10 people.

The province says the following regions will remain in Stage 1:

• Durham Region Health Department
• Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit
• Halton Region Public Health
• Hamilton Public Health Services
• Lambton Public Health
• Niagara Region Public Health
• Peel Public Health
• Toronto Public Health
• Windsor-Essex County Health Unit
• York Region Public Health Unit

Regardless of whether a region has moved to Stage 2, the province says effective Friday, June 12th at 12:01am, the limit on social gatherings across the province will increase from five to ten people. Additionally, they say all places of worship in Ontario will also be permitted to open with physical distancing in place and attendance limited to no more than 30 per cent of the building capacity to ensure the safety of worshippers.

The full Stage 2 reopening plan can be read on the Ontario government’s website here.