Lambton County residents and businesses will be among the communities which have the least restrictions to fight COVID-19.

The gathering limits won’t change and some businesses will have to implement more safety measures under the new rules.

The province released its new COVID-19 Response Framework today. It’s aim is to clearly layout what happens as the number of cases rise in your community. The framework takes a gradual approach that includes introducing preventative measures earlier to help avoid broader closures and allow for additional public health and workplace safety measures to be introduced or removed incrementally.

Lambton will be in the prevent or green zone since it has fewer than 10 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people and the level of community transmission remains low. The measures will rise as the case numbers increase. The colour-coded restrictions include yellow-protect, orange-restrict (with immediate measures), red -control – the most stringent measures before lock down.

Areas like Toronto, Peel and York will be in the orange zone to begin.

See the full document here: https://www.ontario.ca/page/covid-19-response-framework-keeping-ontario-safe-and-open

Here is what the government is proposing for the green prevent zones, which includes Lambton County:

_{Gathering Limits}

_Sports

_Restaurants

_{Meetings and Event spaces}

Retail   

•Fitting rooms must be limited to non-adjacent stalls

•Line-ups/patrons congregating outside venues managed by venue; 2m distance and face covering required  

Personal Care Services    

•Oxygen bars, steam rooms, saunas, and whirlpools closed  

Casinos Bingo Halls and Gaming Establishments    

•Capacity cannot exceed 50 persons.

•Table games are prohibited.

•OR casinos, bingo halls, and gaming establishments operate in accordance with a plan approved by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health.  

Cinemas  

In facility/area •50 indoors •100 outdoors   OR •50 indoor per auditorium if cinema operates in accordance with the approved plan from the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health

•Face coverings except when eating or drinking only

•Drive-in cinemas permitted to operate, subject to restrictions  

Performing Arts Centres    

•50 spectators indoors and 100 spectators outdoors with 2m physical distance maintained

•Singers and players of wind or brass instruments must be separated from spectators by plexiglass or some other impermeable barrier

•Rehearsal or performing a recorded or broadcasted event permitted

•Performers and employees must maintain 2m physical distance except for purposes of the performance

•Drive-in performances permitted      

There will be more information available as well – the province will post COVID-19 cases from across each region. Officials say this information will better help businesses, organizations and local communities access key information to prepare in advance for any changes in their region.

Premier Doug Ford, introducing the new system Tuesday, was asked why there seemed to be fewer restrictions in areas where the number of cases were high. Ford says “the whole world is going to live with this for a while” and it is not good for people’s mental health to continue to restrict their businesses.

Ford he says he hears from restaurant owners all the time about how they can’t pay their loans and that’s leading to depression and mental health programs.

Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. David Williams, says that was something local medical officers of health were concerned about. He says there are indication the number of people contracting COVID-19 in the GTA is “going up but not as fast as before.”

He adds the MOH’s are worried about the “impacts on economics and indviduals, ongoing closure is not going to be helpful.”