News

EOHU Region to Be in the “Yellow-Protect” Category of New Provincial COVID-19 Response Framework

2020-11-06

Related Public Health Measures and Restrictions Take Effect on November 7

On November 6th, 2020, the Ontario government announced that the Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU) will be placed in the “Yellow-Protect” category of the province’s new COVID-19 Response Framework. The determination was made based on the latest local COVID-19 data for the EOHU region. Public health measures and restrictions indicated for Yellow-Protect regions in the new framework will take effect on November 7, 2020 at 12:01 a.m.

The framework was put in place to give public health officials the ability to implement measures that are targeted, incremental and responsive to the COVID-19 situation in the community.

“The new framework gives us the ability to respond in a more nimble manner to the situation on the ground,” says Dr. Paul Roumeliotis, Medical Officer of Health at the EOHU. “It will serve as an early warning system that will allow us to either scale up or scale back our public health measures and restrictions on a regional or community basis in response to surges and waves of COVID-19.”

The framework categorizes public health unit regions into five levels: Green-Prevent, Yellow-Protect, Orange-Restrict, Red-Control, and Lockdown being a measure of last and urgent resort. Each level outlines the types of public health and workplace safety measures required for businesses and organizations. These include targeted measures for specific sectors, institutions and other settings.

Each public health unit is classified according to the framework indicators. Final decisions on the classification of public health unit regions are made by the government based on updated data and in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health, local medical officers of health and other health experts, and will be reviewed weekly.

Due to the public health restrictions mandated by the new provincial framework, the EOHU will be rescinding its latest Section 22 Order. The Order from the Medical Officer of Health for Owners/Operators of Banquet Halls, Food and Drink Establishments, Sports and Recreational Facilities, and Personal Care Services will no longer be in effect as of 12:01 AM on November 7, 2020. The Order will be replaced by the public health measures and restrictions specified in the new framework.

For more information on the provincial COVID-19 Response Framework, and related public health measures in force for the EOHU region, visit www.EOHU.ca/covidlevel.