Grey Bruce’s Medical Officer of Health says the region is ready for schools to open to in-person learning and for some restrictions to be eased on businesses, as soon as provincial direction allows.
Speaking on the Open Line on 560 CFOS, Dr. Ian Arra says he is “cautiously optimistic” Grey Bruce has cleared the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic and the local epidemiology now would allow the region to open.
Last month, the region experienced a surge that saw the active case load peak at 169 on April 15. Arra says the trend has steadily declined since and Grey Bruce is now at a manageable level with an average of less than five new cases per day.
He says Grey Bruce has managed to regain control over the pandemic locally.
“I can see the coming days to have a few sporadic cases,” Arra says. “But we continue to have zero outbreaks at this point in hospitals, long term care homes, retirement homes and childcare.”
Last week, the Ford government extended the provincewide stay-at-home order and emergency brake until June 2, keeping schools closed to in-person learning, businesses in several sectors shut down and most outdoor recreational amenities closed.
Despite the declining epidemiological trends, Arra says it was the recommendation of “every medical officer of health” to extend the stay-at-home order until just after the May long weekend, having seen surges in the past after similar occasions.
“But at the same time I would advocate for our schools to open, for lessening certain restrictions on local businesses,” Arra explains. “These things are not mutually exclusive.”
Arra says the stay-at-home order implemented in early April “has not been easy on all of us” and specifically acknowledges it affects the viability of impacted businesses.
The region’s medical officer of health says while he can’t speak on the situation at the provincial level, Grey Bruce is “ready to open” when the decision comes to doing so.
“Our goal is to end this pandemic and go back to normal. There is going to be a day we are going to rip these masks off, throw them in the garbage and enjoy the investment we’ve had, all of us, into ending this pandemic,” Arra explains. “We are not at that point yet here. But that’s our goal going forward.”