Hamilton not moving to Stage 3 of reopening
Hamilton will not move into Stage 3 of reopening on Friday.
The news came Monday as Premier Doug Ford announced all but 10 of Ontario's regions will move into Stage 3 on Friday. It means nearly all businesses in 24 regions can open and up to 100 people can gather outside and 50 inside - still following physical-distancing rules.
Hamilton, along with Toronto, Halton, Haldimand-Norfolk and other regions of southern Ontario, will remain in Stage 2. Residents in those 10 regions will continue to see a 10-person cap on social gatherings and 50-person cap on outdoor weddings, funerals or religious services.
Social bubbles - people you can be physically close with - remain capped at 10 across the province.
In Stage 3, gyms, bars, dine-in restaurants, movie theatres and casinos can reopen. Team sports and live sporting events can resume. Waterparks, amusement parks and other establishments cannot reopen. Dancing at restaurants and bars is not allowed.
Hamilton seems likely to move into Stage 3 next week. Health Minister Christine Elliott said regional reopenings are expected to follow the same pattern of the Stage 2 reopening; Hamilton moved into Stage 2 one week after the first group.
We expect that the next group will be the second group that moved into Stage 2," Elliott said, noting the chief medical officer of health wants to see four full weeks of COVID-19 data from each region during each stage of the reopening before giving the green light to move stages.
She said Stage 3 will be Ontario's new reality for the foreseeable future. There is no Stage 4."
On Monday, Hamilton reported five new cases of COVID-19. The new cases include those from the weekend and on Monday as of 9 a.m. since the city no longer reports new cases on the weekend.
There are 866 confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases in Hamilton, with 92 per cent of those cases considered recovered. A total of 44 people have died in Hamilton during the pandemic.
There are fewer than five" people with COVID-19 being treated in hospital, according to Hamilton Health Sciences' website, up from zero last week. St. Joseph's Hospital says no one with COVID-19 is being treated there.
Katrina Clarke is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach her via email: katrinaclarke@thespec.com