CORNWALL – The region’s medical officer of health will not be recommending a rollback of restrictions to a modified Stage 2 like we’ve seen in Ottawa, Peel, York and Toronto.
That’s according to the Cornwall and Area Chamber of Commerce after a call with Dr. Paul Roumeliotis Wednesday afternoon.
Instead, Roumeliotis would be recommending changes to table sizes for indoor dining, contact tracing and a “few other modifications.”
“The important message from Dr. Paul is that the restrictions will not cause businesses to close,” the chamber said.
Roumeliotis confirmed the move during his briefing with reporters on Wednesday afternoon saying it was a “very logical step” given that the health unit is starting to see case numbers subside after peaking last week.
Roumeliotis says he talked with Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams yesterday and the recommendations will be going to cabinet. They would “likely” be announced by Premier Doug Ford on Thursday or Friday and would be in effect for 28 days.
Those restrictions would include a cap of 100 people in a restaurant and six people per table.
“No (business) closures… just increased precautions,” the doctor said.
It’s a change from Friday when Roumeliotis said he was “seriously contemplating” a modified Stage 2 for Cornwall, SD&G and Prescott-Russell after “acute increases” in COVID-19 cases. The province reviewed the data on Tuesday, according to Roumeliotis.