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Sutcliffe ‘cautiously optimistic’ about plans to ease COVID-19 restrictions next week

With plans to ease restrictions in one week, health unit will be watching carefully as days go forward
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Dr. Penny Sutcliffe, chief medical officer of health with Public Health Sudbury & Districts. (File)

Public Health Sudbury and Districts (PHSD) said it is "cautiously optimistic" about Ontario's new plans to ease COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, beginning on Jan. 31.

The plan to move Ontario to a "modified" Step-2 was announced by Premier Doug Ford on Jan. 20, who said there was evidence that the impact of the Omicron variant was softening.

“The evidence tells us that the measures we put in place to blunt transmission of Omicron are working,” said Ford in a government news release. 

“We can be confident that the worst is behind us and that we are now in a position to cautiously and gradually ease public health measures. While February will continue to present its own challenges, given current trends these are challenges we are confident we can manage,” Ford continued.

The news release said Ontario was seeing signs of stabilization in key public health indicators and that it was expected the trend would continue. With that in mind, the province said it was moving toward "a cautious and phased approach to lifting public health measures", with 21 days between each step.

Sudbury Health Unit's chief medical officer of health Dr. Penny Sutcliffe said she will be carefully watching as the days go forward.

"As communicated by the province (Thursday), we are cautiously optimistic and carefully watching COVID-19 indicators. We understand that the gradual approach to exit the modified Step 2 of the provincial roadmap will be based on metrics, including outbreaks in higher risk settings and hospital admissions," said Sutcliffe in an emailed statement. 

"We also understand that the dates announced are subject to an ongoing assessment of these metrics and that the important ‘foundational’ measures such as staying home when sick, masking, and proof of vaccination remain in place," Sutcliffe added. 

With the changes announced last week, the easing of restrictions will include such things as allowing 25 people, instead of only 10, to gather outdoors.

Also, capacity limits on indoor settings will be increased 50 per cent at restaurants, pubs, retail stores, shopping malls, museums, galleries and churches. 

If those measures take place without any worsening of the public health situation, Premier Ford said the restrictions will be eased even more within 21 days, which would see measures relaxed on Feb. 21. 

At that point, outdoor gathering limits will be increased to 100 people and capacity limits on most indoor settings will be removed. People will still be required to have proof of vaccinations to take part in most activities. Masking and physical distancing recommendations would remain in place. 

"We look forward to reviewing the specific details in the regulations under the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020, once posted," Sutcliffe's statement concluded.  

Len Gillis is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter at Sudbury.com, covering health care in northeastern Ontario. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the federal government.


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Len Gillis, local journalism initiative reporter

About the Author: Len Gillis, local journalism initiative reporter

Len Gillis is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter at Sudbury.com covering health care in northeastern Ontario and the COVID-19 pandemic.
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