Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com

SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — Ontario is back on hold for three weeks.

With no end to Omicron, the province said today it’s returning to the modified version of Step Two of the Roadmap to Reopen effective tomorrow, Jan. 5.

The changes in gatherings and workplace limitations will last at least 21 days (until Jan. 26), subject to trends in public health and health system indicators, they say in a release Monday.

Implications of the announcement are causing a wave of change affecting schools, which were to reopen Wednesday, to gatherings of no more than 5 people.

The government also announced financial help for struggling businesses.

See, below, for how it will affect you or your business.

Meanwhile, The Pines in Bracebridge reports 8 new cases Monday.

They say today that testing has confirmed 3 new positive COVID-19 resident cases and additional 5 staff cases at the long-term care home.

The Pines remains in outbreak status until further notice, it says in a release.

Last week 5 staff members tested positive, at which time the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit placed the District of Muskoka-run home under outbreak status.

Additional testing confirmed 3 resident cases Jan. 3. These residents are asymptomatic at this time.

And further testing has confirmed 5 more staff members have tested positive — some with symptoms and all are isolating at home.

This brings the total of active staff cases to ten 10.

The district adds that at this time other staff members are awaiting results and it is safe to assume there will be more positive staff member cases.

MONDAY: COVID P.H.0. NUMBERS: … 394 CASES IN SIMCOE-MUSKOKA (556 YESTERDAY) … ONTARIO 13,578 AND DEATHS (16,714-16) … TORONTO 3,006 (3,736) YORK 1,260 (1,388), PEEL 1,260 (2,182) … NORTH BAY-PARRY SOUND 35 (47) … PORCUPINE 62 (90) … KINGSTON 78 (313) … HALTON 411 (781) …

Huntsville closes Summit Centre, Alongquin Theatre

As a result, many municipal services will be modified.

Huntsville says its town hall will continue to remain open for in-person services. However, if planning to visit in-person, appointments are encouraged. Wherever possible, the Town recommends contact-less options through municipal phone and email addresses.

All essential services including roads, fire and transit will continue to operate.

• As of Jan. 5 the following services will be modified until further notice:
• Canada Summit Centre and Algonquin Theatre will be closed to the public until further notice. Registrants and ticket holders will be contacted directly by the Town.
• Huntsville Public Library will continue to remain open at a reduced capacity
• Lions Lookout and Port Sydney Skating Rinks will remain open for public use. While using the rinks, individuals are required to adhere to posted Provincial regulations such as 2m physical distancing and group outdoor gathering limits.

For full department and staff contact information visit the Contact Us page. For a full list of up-to-date information on Town facility closures and cancellations as a result of COVID-19 visit online at huntsville.ca/covid19.

 

Emergency Muskoka child care

Now that students are returning to online learning, the District of Muskoka says it is working with child care centres, school boards, the health unit and province to re-establish emergency child care.

But it will take time, they say.

Updates on the availability, including worker eligibility criteria (pending confirmation from the province), locations and start date will soon be available.

Muskoka COVID testing centres

To prioritize those who are at the greatest risk of COVID, the Ministry of Health issued updated testing guidance, according to Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare (MAHC).

Individuals with symptoms of COVID-19 can be presumed to be infected with COVID-19 and should initiate timely self-isolation to prevent transmission in the community and follow these steps.

The Bracebridge Assessment Centre, operated by MAHC, is following the latest testing criteria. It indicates that those considered to be a highest risk include:

• patient-facing healthcare workers;
• staff, residents, essential care providers, and visitors in hospitals and congregate living settings, including long-term care, retirement homes, First Nation elder care lodges, group homes, shelters, hospices, temporary foreign worker settings, and correctional institutions;
• people who are from First Nation, Inuit, and Métis communities and individuals travelling into these communities for work;
• individuals 70+ years of age with a risk factor (such as obesity, diabetes or kidney disease);
• underhoused or homeless individuals

The latest guidance indicates testing for asymptomatic contacts of cases is no longer recommended, except for high-risk contacts/individuals that are part of confirmed or suspected outbreaks in high-risk settings, as recommended by public health.

It also states that positive rapid antigen tests no longer require PCR confirmation.

For more information on the current testing direction, visit www.ontario.ca/covidtest.

How changes will affect you:

New Ontario government measures today include:

• Reducing social gathering limits to five people indoors and 10 people outdoors.
• Limiting capacity at organized public events to five people indoors.
• Requiring businesses and organizations to ensure employees work remotely unless the nature of their work requires them to be on-site.
• Limiting capacity at indoor weddings, funerals, and religious services, rites and ceremonies to 50 per cent capacity of the particular room. Outdoor services are limited to the number of people that can maintain 2 metres of physical distance. Social gatherings associated with these services must adhere to the social gathering limits.
• Retail settings, including shopping malls, permitted at 50 per cent capacity. For shopping malls physical distancing will be required in line-ups, loitering will not be permitted and food courts will be required to close.
• Personal care services permitted at 50 per cent capacity and other restrictions. Saunas, steam rooms, and oxygen bars closed.
• Closing indoor meeting and event spaces with limited exceptions but permitting outdoor spaces to remain open with restrictions.
• Public libraries limited to 50 per cent capacity.
• Closing indoor dining at restaurants, bars and other food or drink establishments. Outdoor dining with restrictions, takeout, drive through and delivery is permitted.
• Restricting the sale of alcohol after 10 p.m. and the consumption of alcohol on-premise in businesses or settings after 11 p.m. with delivery and takeout, grocery/convenience stores and other liquor stores exempted.
• Closing indoor concert venues, theatres, cinemas, rehearsals and recorded performances permitted with restrictions.
• Closing museums, galleries, zoos, science centres, landmarks, historic sites, botanical gardens and similar attractions, amusement parks and waterparks, tour and guide services and fairs, rural exhibitions, and festivals. Outdoor establishments permitted to open with restrictions and with spectator occupancy, where applicable, limited to 50 per cent capacity.
• Closing indoor horse racing tracks, car racing tracks and other similar venues. Outdoor establishments permitted to open with restrictions and with spectator occupancy limited to 50 per cent capacity. Boat tours permitted at 50 per cent capacity.
• Closing indoor sport and recreational fitness facilities including gyms, except for athletes training for the Olympics and Paralympics and select professional and elite amateur sport leagues. Outdoor facilities are permitted to operate but with the number of spectators not to exceed 50 per cent occupancy and other requirements.
• All publicly funded and private schools will move to remote learning starting January 5 until at least January 17, subject to public health trends and operational considerations.

• School buildings would be permitted to open for child care operations, including emergency child care, to provide in-person instruction for students with special education needs who cannot be accommodated remotely and for staff who are unable to deliver quality instruction from home.
• During this period of remote learning, free emergency child care will be provided for school-aged children of health care and other eligible frontline workers.

View the regulations for the full list of mandatory public health and workplace safety measures.

In addition, as of Jan. 5, Dr. Kieran Moore, the Chief Medical Officer of Health, is reinstating Directive 2 for hospitals and regulated health professionals, instructing hospitals to pause all non-emergent and non-urgent surgeries and procedures in order to preserve critical care and human resource capacity.

In recognition of the impact the Omicron variant and additional public health measures have on small businesses, the government is expanding the new Ontario Business Costs Rebate Program.

Eligible businesses that are required to close or reduce capacity will receive rebate payments for a portion of the property tax and energy costs they incur while subject to these measures.

They will also be required to reduce capacity to 50 per cent, such as smaller retail stores, will receive a rebate payment equivalent to 50 per cent of their costs, while businesses required to close for indoor activities, such as restaurants and gyms, will receive a rebate payment equivalent to 100 per cent of their costs.

A full list of eligible business types will be made available when applications for the program open later this month.

To improve cash flows for Ontario businesses, effective Jan. 1 the government is also providing up to $7.5 billion for a six-month interest- and penalty-free period for Ontario businesses to make payments for most provincially administered taxes, supporting businesses now and providing the flexibility they will need for long-term planning.

The government is also exploring options for providing further targeted and necessary supports for businesses and workers impacted by the province’s move into a modified Step Two of the Roadmap to Reopen, including grants.

The government will also continue to call on the federal government to come to table and help us support Ontario businesses and Ontario workers by allowing eligible businesses to defer HST and to enhance supports available to workers affected by current public health measures.

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