Ontario’s province-wide State of Emergency will end at 11:59 PM on Tuesday, February 9. The end of the State of Emergency does not affect the City of Markham’s status under the Province’s shutdown measures – Markham will continue to be under shutdown orders. The Government of Ontario announced that it will gradually transition regions from shut down measures to the colour-coded Keeping Ontario Safe and Open COVID-19 response framework. No timeline has yet been announced for Markham’s transition. In addition, the Stay-at-Home order will continue to apply at least until February 22.
To protect yourself and others from COVID-19, we need to continue to:
- Stay at home
- Limit interactions to those in your household
- Avoid social gatherings
- Wash your hands frequently
- Keep a safe distance of 2 metres or 6 feet from others
- Wear a mask or face covering when in indoor public spaces or when keeping a safe distance outdoors is a challenge
Essential trips can still be made for groceries, medicine, to access healthcare services, for essential work or to exercise. Residents are reminded to stay off the ice that can form on storm water ponds, streams, ponds and lakes – it is not safe!
Even though Ontario’s COVID-19 infections have been gradually lowering in recent days, it is not time to let our guard down. We need to continue to be careful as several new strains have appeared, schools are starting to re-open, ICU beds are still needed and hospitals continue to need to offer essential non-COVID-19 services such as surgeries and cancer treatments.
When the City of Markham transitions back to the colour-coded COVID-19 response framework, the Government of Ontario will allow non-essential retailers in the Grey-Lockdown Zone to open their doors with a 25 per cent capacity limit. Businesses can find out more about maintaining COVID-19 health and safety compliance and avoiding fines by visiting markham.ca/CovidEnforcement.
The enforcement of laws and emergency orders under the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, (ROA) and Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMCPA) continue to be a priority. Employers in all industries should continue to make every effort to allow employees to work from home.
As we navigate the pandemic together, the City of Markham continues to monitor and follow advice from public health officials at the federal, provincial and regional levels.
It is critically important that we each continue to do our part to keep one another safe. It is not the time to let your guard down. Every action counts.
Visit markham.ca/covid19 for more information.
