Peterborough Public Health Moves Back Into Yellow Zone, Here Are Guidelines
/As of Tuesday (February 16th), Peterborough Public Health (PPH) has moved back into the Yellow – PROTECT level of the provincial COVID-19 Response Framework.
“It’s vital that residents understand a return to Yellow does not mean the end of public health measures, and that we all need to keep up our efforts with frequent hand washing, maintaining physical distance, wearing a mask, staying home when sick, and avoiding non-essential travel,” says Dr. Rosana Salvaterra, Medical Officer of Health.
Dr. Salvaterra adds that the good news is that regional indicators continue to improve, so that it may be possible for PPH to return to the Green-PREVENT level. “The provincial approach has been to move down the framework more slowly, usually waiting for enough time to elapse to show that the indicators are indeed stable before restrictions are eased. We’ll need to stay at Green a little longer before we can earn the right to move down,” she adds.
KEY INDICATORS USED BY ONTARIO CABINET TO DETERMINE LEVEL
The key indicators that are used by the Ontario Cabinet to determine which level public health units fit into according to the provincial framework include epidemiology of the virus (e.g., case incidence rate, % testing positivity), confirmed presence of COVID-19 variants of concern (VOCs), health system capacity, public health system capacity, and local context and conditions.
There are general public health measures applicable to all businesses and organizations open to the public, including:
Complete COVID-19 Safety Plans that are posted and available for staff and members of the public
Active screening of all employees before beginning a work shift
Passive screening (posting signage) for all customers and members of the public
Ensuring compliance by staff and the public for mandatory masks and face coverings
Ensuring that an establishment is set up to facilitate physical distancing
Frequent cleaning and disinfection of equipment provided to the public and high-touch points in the establishment
