Chatham-Kent’s special events will be required to be delayed further, as the limit at gatherings remains a maximum of five persons.
Applications for special events on municipal property will not be accepted until permission to proceed is received from Dr. David Colby, Chatham-Kent’s medical officer of health, and Dr. David Williams, Ontario’s chief medical officer.
The Public Health Agency of Canada recommends that event organizers and planners cancel or postpone in-person gatherings which Chatham-Kent Public Health says is in alignment with their position.
“At this time it is not advisable to host or partake in gatherings of more than five people, and if choosing to gather even in that small of a group – it is imperative that physical distancing measures are taking place. Keeping six feet apart from individuals who do not reside in your home continues to be one of our greatest forms of defense against the spread of the virus,” Caress Lee Carpenter, public relations officer, CK Public Health said.
Meanwhile, the Ontario government has extended the Declaration of Emergency under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act to ensure it has the necessary tools and health-care capacity to contain COVID-19, while gradually reopening businesses, services, and amenities.
The Declaration of Emergency has been extended until June 2 and was passed during a special sitting of the Ontario Legislature Tuesday.
The declaration will allow Ontario to continue to enforce current emergency orders, such as restricting retirement and long-term care home employees from working in more than one facility and prohibiting events and gatherings of more than five people.
“We are making steady progress to flatten the curve and get more people back to work safely, including our legislators, but we still have far to go in defeating COVID-19,” said Premier Doug Ford. “Extending the declaration of emergency will allow us to continue to take action to protect Ontarians, while carefully and cautiously reopening more parts of our economy.”
