Hamilton moves into the red zone Monday, for at least 28 days
In a surprise move, the province announced Friday that Hamilton will be bumped up two stages in the colour-coded COVID restrictions tiers on Monday.
At a Queen's Park news conference, Health Minister Christine Elliott said the city of Hamilton is among regions that will be moved from the yellow, protect" stage into the red, control" stage, effective first thing Monday.
In the red zone, residents are asked to stay home, going out only for essentials, to attend school, work or medical appointments, or to exercise. People are asked to work from home if possible.
Red is just one step away from full lockdown.
We're staring down the barrel of another lockdown," Premier Doug Ford warned at the news conference. We can't become complacent. We need to fight and continue fighting. Please don't lose hope."
The province is also lowering thresholds for all colour-coded stages, meaning it'll be easier for the province to move regions into more restrictive zones. This comes in the wake of a damning Toronto Star report that said the province did not listen to its own public health agency's advice when implementing the new colour-coded framework.
Hamilton will remain in the red zone for at least 28 days.
At a media update late Friday, Hamilton's medical officer of health, Dr. Elizabeth Richardson, reiterated that people should stay home as much as possible.
If we don't get control of this we will be moving into a lockdown," she said.
In the red zone, indoor dining in restaurants is still allowed but the maximum number of patrons allowed indoors is 10. Last call for alcohol is 9 p.m. and establishments must close by 10 p.m. Only four people can be seated together. Dancing and singing is prohibited. Patios will remain open and takeout will remain a dining option.
Asked how residents are meant to reconcile the province's message to stay home with the fact restaurants and bars will remain open, Richardson said people need to make choices for themselves.
Gyms can remain open but with strict rules. A maximum of 10 people are allowed in an area with exercise equipment or weights. Just 10 people can attend an indoor fitness class, 25 if it's outside. Gym-goers can only be inside for a maximum of 90 minutes.
All sports and recreational programs in facilities such as arenas are limited to 10 people per room indoors and 25 outdoors. Sports teams are only allowed to gather for training purposes, not to play games or scrimmages.
More information about how the restrictions affect Hamilton will be posted on the city's website over the weekend.
Ford warned at the news conference even tighter restrictions may soon come. He has asked Ontario's chief medical officer of health, Dr. David Williams, to take a hard look" at the restrictions as they currently exist in the colour-coded framework, which has been in place for just a week.
New thresholds
Prior to Friday, the threshold for entering the red zone was a weekly infection rate of 100 cases per 100,000 population and a lab test positivity rate of 10 per cent. On Friday, it was lowered to 40 cases per 100,000 population and a positivity rate threshold of 2.5 per cent. Thresholds have also been adjusted for the green, yellow and orange stages.
In Hamilton, the weekly infection rate stands at 52 and the per cent positivity is 3.0.
Hamilton joins four other regions in the red zone - Halton, Toronto, Peel and York.
Active cases and outbreaks of COVID
Hamilton exceeded 400 active COVID-19 cases for the first time on Friday. There are also two new outbreaks in the city; one at a flooring store and one at an insurance company.
There is also one new death. A woman in her late 80s who lived at Chartwell Willowgrove long-term-care home in Ancaster died Wednesday, the eighth resident to die in that outbreak. Her passing is Hamilton's 60th COVID death.
Outbreaks at seniors' homes continue to grow. There are 11 active outbreaks in seniors' homes, including the one at Chartwell Willowgrove in which eight residents have died, and 38 residents and 24 staff are sick. Other growing outbreaks include Baywoods Place long-term care home in central Hamilton, where 15 residents and 12 staff are sick; St. Joseph's Villa long-term care home, north tower, in Dundas, where 22 residents and 13 staff are sick; and Hamilton Continuing Care long-term care home in central Hamilton, where 15 residents and 12 staff are sick.
The new outbreaks include Jonathon's Perron Floor Coverings, near where the Red Hill and Linc meet. Two staff are sick.
Another outbreak is at Meridian Credit Union, located at 259 Hamilton Regional Rd. in Stoney Creek, where three staff are sick.
There are 46 new cases, 402 active cases and 2,341 total cases, with 80 per cent of those, or 1,877, considered resolved. A total of 185 people, or eight per cent of all cases, have been hospitalized since March, with 19 in hospital on Friday.
Hamilton's reproduction rate, meaning the rate at which a person who is sick is infecting others, is 1.23.
Katrina Clarke is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach her via email: katrinaclarke@thespec.com