City facilities to exclude those who have traveled outside the region

THUNDER BAY – The city of Thunder Bay will deny access to its facilities to anyone who has traveled outside the region in the previous 14 days, starting Monday.

The move comes after weeks of increasing the number of COVID-19 cases in the city, with 68 active cases in the Thunder Bay district as of Friday. As cases continue to rise in other parts of the country, the city said Friday it sees travel as a growing risk.

“We anticipated that increased travel could be a contributing factor to a second wave,” Mayor Bill Mauro said in a statement. “Our advocacy of travel restrictions and the announcement by the health unit is a positive step we can take as a company to better protect our residents.”

Thunder Bay health officer Dr. Janet DeMille strongly advised residents to travel outside the region for essential purposes only earlier in the week.

Audience members will be asked two filter questions before entering city facilities to determine whether they have traveled outside of northwestern Ontario in the previous 14 days or if a family member has returned from a trip outside of Ontario northwestern in the previous 14 days and developed COVID-19 symptoms.

For screening purposes, Northwestern Ontario is considered to extend from the Manitoba border to Manitouwadge.

Anyone who answers yes to either question will not be allowed in and will instead be instructed to self-isolate immediately and contact the Thunder Bay COVID-19 Assessment Center to be evaluated and scheduled for testing, the city said.

“The health and safety of city staff and the residents they serve is essential, so we are taking a preventative approach to protect them from COVID-19,” said city director Norm Gale.

The policy will go into effect Monday at 12:01 am, while a similar policy for city staff went into effect on Friday.

The rule also applies to outdoor and partially outdoor facilities, he said.

In its statement, the city said it will work to accommodate those who have been rejected because of the policy.

“The city recognizes that some members of the public may have to travel for essential reasons such as medical care or other reasons,” he said. “If a resident needs accommodation, they can contact the appropriate area where they request the service and every effort will be made to meet their needs.”