News

July 13, 2020, Simcoe, ON – The Province has announced that most jurisdictions will be moving to the third stage of the COVID-19 re-opening plan Friday, however ten areas – including Haldimand-Norfolk – will remain at stage two.

The areas being moved to stage three have spent an additional week in stage two. It is anticipated that the Province will re-evaluate the status of Haldimand and Norfolk next Monday.

The Province is taking a regional approach to re-opening, with some jurisdictions moving to stage three while others remain in stage two.

“We expect to be able to move into the next stage shortly, so long as we continue to see few new daily cases of COVID-19 in the community,” says Kristal Chopp, chair of the Haldimand-Norfolk Board of Health. “While we’re all very much looking forward to seeing more of our businesses permitted to re-open, this doesn’t mean that the pandemic is over. We must continue to be vigilant against the spread of the virus, and avoid undoing all the hard work we’ve done over the last four months.

“Our residents deserve a huge thanks for the sacrifices they’ve made in the battle against COVID-19. We would not be preparing to open up more businesses and returning to more normal circumstances without their efforts.”

In stage three, nearly all businesses can re-open and there will be a further easing on the size of social gatherings.

Movie theatres, gyms, fitness studios and indoor dining are among the businesses permitted to open in stage three.

Regardless of the stage Haldimand and Norfolk are in, residents are asked to remain vigilant against the spread of COVID-19 by following all public health guidance, including practising social distancing, washing hands frequently and avoiding situations where keeping distance would be difficult.

Updates continue to be provided at hnhu.org/covid-19.