Hamilton to be locked down Monday
Hamilton is moving into lockdown on Monday.
In release late Friday, the Ontario government announced it is moving Hamilton into the grey zone effective Monday, Dec. 21. The city will remain in lockdown for a minimum of four weeks, a stretch of time that includes Christmas and New Year's Day.
At a hastily organized news conference post-announcement, city officials had stern words for anyone attempting to flout the new rules, which include a ban on gatherings with anyone outside your household - with some exceptions.
You can't invite people into your home," said Paul Johnson, director of the city's Emergency Operations Centre. It will result in a fine and a charge if you do so."
The fines are steep: $880 for attendees and $10,000 for organizers.
People who live alone can gather with one other household. But a Christmas gathering with, say, two couples from different households, is now illegal.
We need to save lives here. People are dying daily," said Mayor Fred Eisenberger. The best Christmas gift you can give right now is to not help or participate in the spread of this virus."
The mayor also urged people not to rush to retail stores, which will be restricted to curbside pickup only. Grocery stores and liquor stores remain open.
Other changes:
- Restaurants and bars are closed and limited to takeout only;
- A maximum of 10 people can gather outdoors, maintaining physical distancing;
- Weddings and funerals can have only 10 people in attendance regardless of whether they are indoors or out;
- Cannabis stores are closed and limited to curbside pickup only;
- Libraries are closed and limited to curbside pickup and drop-off;
- Outdoor recreational sites, such as ice rinks, ski hills and snow trails remain open;
- Team sports are banned.
It's possible more restrictions are coming. Premier Doug Ford has said he will make an announcement Monday after an emergency cabinet meeting scheduled for this weekend.
The mayor said there may very well need to be additional measures" applied to the Golden Horseshoe region. The Christmas break might be a good time to do that, he said.
The province acknowledged in its release that regions that have been in lockdown for a month, including Toronto and Peel Region, continue to see COVID numbers going up.
The lockdown announcement comes as Hamilton set another record, with 877 active cases Friday.
Also Friday, there were 86 new COVID cases reported, bringing the total number of confirmed and probable cases to 4,653. Of those, 78 per cent are considered resolved. There was one new death involving a person 80 or older. Public health no longer releases details regarding the person's precise age, if the death was connected to an outbreak or if the person lived in a seniors' home or in the community.
There are 44 patients with COVID in Hamilton hospitals. The city's infection rate is 116 per 100,000 population - nearly triple the rate that led to being moved into the red zone.
The lockdown was a long-anticipated announcement - one that followed recent pleas for help from Hamilton and area hospitals.
In a statement released Friday, Hamilton Health Science, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton and seven other surrounding area hospitals added their voices to a Thursday call from the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) for the provincial government to take further decisive action ... regarding lockdown measures."
The OHA statement described a dire situation in hospitals: they are grappling with outbreaks, many have had to cancel surgeries, more people with COVID are being hospitalized and health-care workers are facing burnout.
-With files from the Toronto Star.
Katrina Clarke is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach her via email: katrinaclarke@thespec.com