New COVID19 restrictions by Public Health Sudbury and Districts is already affecting local operations throughout the Sudbury and Manitoulin Districts.
The health agency announced that tighter restrictions are now in place across their entire jurisdiction including restricting the number of people allowed to attend events or facilities.
The Espanola Legion Branch #39 is one such location that now must restrict the number of people allowed to be in the building and that means the cancellation of the weekly meat roll-offs.
President Gary McPherson says they apologize and are doing the best they can while still following requirements from the health unit.
More events and other businesses are expected to be affected by the new orders imposed by Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Penny Sutcliffe to curb the rise in COVID-19 cases.
Following a review of trends and data—and considering concerns about the Omicron variant and the socializing that occurs with the holiday season—Dr. Sutcliffe, with the support of the provincial Chief Medical Officer of Health, is requiring that the following measures be in place across Greater Sudbury, Manitoulin District, and Sudbury District, effective Saturday, December 11, 2021, at 12:01 a.m. The new Instructions expand the measures currently in place for the City of Greater Sudbury to apply across the agency’s services area, including:
§ Reinstated capacity limits and physical distancing requirements relaxed by the province in early fall.
§ Strengthened masking requirements at organized public events.
§ Strengthened proof of vaccination requirements for those participating in organized sports at indoor facilities.
§ Reinstated the former requirement that people work remotely (for example from home) unless the nature of their work requires them to be on-site at the workplace.
These new Instructions also add new protections as follows:
§ Businesses and organizations that are open must limit the size of social gatherings and organized public events in their premises and venues to 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors.
§ Proof of vaccination requirements (for those 12 years of age and over) for all non-essential businesses and organizations for which it is currently voluntary (opt-in) under the Step 3 Rules, while maintaining capacity limits. This will apply, for example, to personal care services, indoor recreational amenities, and museums, galleries, and science centres, among others. A full list of settings is available in the detailed technical brief (PDF). This measure will not be in effect until Wednesday, December 15, 2021, at 12:01 a.m.
§ Strengthened requirements for basic public health measures across sectors including masking, physical distancing, active screening, and contact tracing. For example, masks will be required outdoors in places where people cannot maintain physical distance of at least 2 metres from those not part of their households (subject to exemptions for mask use).
§ Strengthened requirements for safety plans for all businesses and organizations, including detail for what these must contain. This includes for example, conducting and documenting regular reviews of the plan with workers.
§ Food and drink establishments will be required to reimplement some protections from Step 2, including no buffets and ensuring that patrons generally remain seated (except when dancing in establishments where that is permitted).
§ In facilities used for indoor sports and recreational fitness activities, and for personal physical fitness trainers:
§ Returning to a physical distancing requirement of 3 metres (instead of 2 metres) for some activities.
§ Establishing new protections to enhance the safety of the facility, for example, in washrooms and change rooms.
§ Team sports or games that may result in personal contact must not be practised or played at the facility, indoors or outdoors, unless the sport or game has been modified to avoid personal contact. Limited exceptions apply to professional and elite sport leagues or associations. School-related extra-curricular team sports or games are subject to separate measures previously communicated.
§ Requiring shopping malls to reduce the volume levels of music and prevent line ups and congregating unless physical distance of 2 metres is maintained.
§ For those who cannot work remotely, strengthened workplace health and safety measures, for example, requirements for virtual meetings and staggered breaks to the fullest extent possible.
Public Health is reissuing its call to everyone to continue to limit your outings, get vaccinated, wear your mask, avoid crowds and poorly ventilated areas, and keep 2 metres distance from those not part of your own household. Monitor yourself for symptoms and stay home when ill—even mildly symptomatic people should self-isolate immediately and seek testing to prevent spreading COVID-19 in our community. When practised diligently, COVID-safe measures help to limit the spread of COVID-19, including the variants of concern.
Public Health Sudbury & Districts will continue to review and assess the data and amend the Instructions accordingly. Full details, including the detailed Letter of Instructions document, will be available shortly at phsd.ca. A detailed technical brief (PDF) describing the current local COVID-19 circumstances is found here.