Provincial Shutdown Measures Continue as Stay-at-Home Order Expires
Written by Comms Team, June 3, 2021
Indoor and Outdoor Gathering Limits Still Apply
Peterborough Public Health is advising both local and seasonal residents that provincial Shutdown measures remain in place following the expiry of the provincial Stay-at-Home Order yesterday, including restrictions on gatherings, businesses, services and other activities.
“As the weather warms up, it will be important to avoid crowding outside especially at beaches and splash pads. Please remember that outdoor gatherings are limited to five people maximum even if you’ve received your first dose of COVID-19 vaccine,” said Dr. Rosana Salvaterra, Medical Officer of Health. “Indoor gatherings are limited to household members only, including at the cottage.”
A summary of Shutdown restrictions can be found here. Highlights include:
- limiting indoor gatherings to household members only and outdoor gatherings to up to five people,
- maintaining a cap of 25 per cent capacity for essential retail where only certain goods are permitted to be sold,
- restricting food establishments to curbside pickup and delivery only,
- restricting non-essential retail to curbside pickup and delivery only,
- garage sales must not be held while Shutdown measures continue which restrict non-essential retail,
- allowing outdoor recreational amenities to remain open, subject to restrictions. No team sports or practices. No activities or games that could pose an issue with physical distancing.
“Whether you are accessing curb-side pickup, shopping at an essential retailer, going to the beach, or heading out for a round of golf, everyone is reminded to follow all individual public health measures and those required by establishments,” added Dr. Salvaterra. This includes screening for COVID-19 symptoms before heading out, staying home if feeling ill, maintaining 2-metres of physical distance from anyone outside of your household, and wearing a mask in crowded spaces where physical distancing is difficult—even outdoors.
The expiry of the Stay-at-Home Order does mean that people can travel to their secondary residence without restriction. Despite this however, Peterborough Public Health continues to recommend that those travelling from outside the region to their cottages or seasonal residences here should transition to a longer stay by self-isolating, or drastically reducing close contact with others for the first 14 days of their stay. Guidance for seasonal residents is available here and will be updated soon to reflect the Stay-at-Home Order changes.
Moving into Step 1 of the Roadmap to Reopening is dependent on the percent of the population that has been vaccinated as well as a whole list of key public health indicators such as the reproductive rate, number of daily cases, and hospital capacity.
Residents are also reminded to take other public health precautions related to enjoying the outdoors, such as wearing hats and sunscreen, drinking lots of water to prevent heat-related illnesses, avoiding mosquito bites, and checking for ticks.
For more information, please visit www.peterboroughpublichealth.ca.
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For further information, please contact:
Brittany Cadence, Communications Manager
705-743-1000, ext. 391