COVID-19 restrictions are easing in the Timmins area.
Starting today (March 22), the Porcupine Health Unit region moves to the yellow - protect level of Ontario's COVID-19 Framework.
At the yellow level the measures are:
- Limit close contacts to the people you live with, unless you live alone. Then you can have close contact with one other household.
- Private events and social gatherings are limited to 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors.
- Organized public events are limited to 50 people indoors and 100 people outdoors.
- All businesses must screen employees, post signs at all entrances about how people can screen for COVID-19 before entry, limit capacity so people can stay two-metres apart, create a safety plan for workers and patrons, and more.
- Restaurants must close by midnight, alcohol cannot be sold after 11 p.m. and no one can drink alcohol after midnight.Buffets are not allowed. There is a maximum of six people at a table.
- For sports and recreational fitness facilities indoor classes are limited to 10 people, there can be 50 people in areas with weights or exercise equipment, and 50 spectators. Outdoors there are caps of 25 people per class and 100 spectators. Everyone must wear a mask except when exercising or playing a sport, stay three metres apart, and give their contact information.
- Oxygen bars, steam rooms and saunas are closed.
Since the stay at home order in Ontario was lifted in February, the Timmins area has been at the more restrictive orange level. Today, North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit and the Timiskaming Health Unit are also moving to the yellow level.
In other areas of Northern Ontario, Sudbury and Thunder Bay are at grey - lockdown, Northwestern Health Unit is at red, and Algoma is yellow.
More details on the restrictions at each level of the framework are available here.
To date, there have been 346 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the health unit region. There are currently two known active cases, according to Public Health Ontario data.
“Although there has been a decrease in the number of confirmed cases in the PHU area, COVID-19 is still circulating and we cannot let our guard down. There are high rates of COVID-19 cases, an alarming presence of variants of concern and significant number of outbreaks among our neighbouring health units,” said Dr. Lianne Catton, Porcupine Health Unit medical officer of health, in a news release.
"We need to continue to be cautious as variants of concern are circulating in the North and they are more infectious which means they can spread more easily.”
There are COVID-19 assessment centres in Timmins, Cochrane, Iroquois Falls, Kapuskasing, Smooth Rock Falls, Hearst, and Hornepayne.
The Porcupine Health Unit COVID-19 information line can be reached at 705-267-1181 or 1-800-461-1818.
