Peterborough moves into the yellow zone on Monday

Enhanced COVID-19 prevention measures will take effect Monday in Peterborough after an increase in local cases recently.

The city and county of Peterborough, Curve Lake First Nation and Hiawatha First Nation will move to yellow protection level from green prevention level at 12:01 am Monday, Peterborough Public Health announced on Friday afternoon.

Medical health officer Dr. Rosana Salvaterra warned Wednesday that the decision could be made on Friday after the increase in cases.

“The move to the yellow zone is based on a number of indicators showing that the rate of spread in the community is increasing, even if we exclude cases related to the Fairhaven epidemic,” Salvaterra said in a press release on Friday.

“The most worrying thing for me was the increase in the percentage of cases with no connection to travel or contact with a case. I hope that the new measures now required for our region will allow us to be more effective in preventing new cases and our staff will ensure local economic operators what they need to develop the required security plans. “

The yellow zone designation will result in stricter restrictions on bars, restaurants, food courts, and meeting and event spaces.

Starting Monday, venues must close at midnight with liquor sold or served only between 9am and 11pm and no liquor consumption allowed between midnight and 9am

They must collect contact information from all seated users, with a limit of six people who can be seated together.

The volume of the music will not be louder than the volume of a normal conversation.

There are also new safety restrictions under a yellow zone designation for gyms and recreational facilities, Mayor Diane Therrien wrote in a statement to The Examiner on Friday night – and this is the area where municipal services are expected to be the most. affected.

“Arenas have already operated on a reservation-based system,” wrote Therrien.

“The city is working with Peterborough Public Health on any changes to operations at the Peterborough Sport and Wellness Center required by the yellow designation in our area.”

This is because starting Monday, sports and recreation centers will require face coverings except during exercise.

They need to increase the space between users to three meters where there are weight / weight machines and gym / fitness classes.

Recreation programs will be limited to 10 people per room indoors and 25 outdoors.

Contact information will be requested from all patrons and team sports must collect participation information.

Recreational facilities must also request a reservation for entry (only one reservation is required for teams).

Although there were no details on Friday night on how the sports and wellness center’s operations will be adjusted accordingly, Therrien said she expects those plans to be made public soon.

“We will provide more information as details are finalized through consultation with public health,” he wrote.

In the meantime, malls must have a security plan available upon request, under the restrictions of the yellow zone, and must limit the volume of the music to a volume no higher than that of a normal conversation.

Personal care establishments must have a safety plan available upon request and require contact information from all users.

Cinemas, performing arts facilities, casinos, bingo halls and gambling establishments must also have a security plan available upon request and must request the contact information of all patrons. They will only be able to sell and serve liquor between 9am and 11pm, with no liquor consumption allowed between midnight and 9am

“I guess the bottom line is, we all have to bite our upper lip and hold on. If we want to see a light at the end of this tunnel, we need to do what health care workers tell us to do, ”said Peterborough County Director J. Murray Jones.

Toronto and the Peel region will enter a full blockade on Monday, the Durham region will move to the red zone while Haliburton, Kawartha, the Pine Ridge District Health Unit and Hastings and Prince Edward Counties Public Health will remain in the zone. green.