Niagara to receive new public health measures

With the more infectious variant of the novel coronavirus that was first identified in the U.K. knocking on Niagara’s doorstep, the region’s top public health official is preparing new local measures designed to further slow the spread of the virus, the St. Catharines Standard has learned.

Dr. Mustafa Hirji said Wednesday the measures will likely be announced within a week. Although he said he is not able to disclose any details yet, multiple regional government sources confirmed they will involved masking, lineups and compliance at local businesses.

During Tuesday’s Niagara Region public health committee meeting, Hirji said he would also reinstate his October order that limited occupancy at restaurants for indoor dining.

The new measures, which will apply to restaurants and other businesses including retail, will come as concerns over the spread of the new variants continue in Ontario. Hamilton announced its first confirmed case of the variant on Wednesday, and cases have been found in Halidmand Norfolk, Peel, York and Toronto.

No variant cases have been confirmed in Niagara, but Hirji said given the speed with the variant spreads it remains a “serious concern” for the region.

According to Hirji, the number of variant cases in Peel, York and Toronto doubled in seven days. By comparison, at Niagara’s current infection rate of the standard virus, cases will double in 273 days.

“So even if it is just a few cases (of the variant in Ontario) right now, if they continue to double at that rate, it is going to be a serious problem,” Hirji said.

Provincial science table modelling predicts that without strong public health measures to tamp down the spread of the virus, the more infectious variants could trigger a third COVID-19 wave which could be more serious than the second wave that just ended and trigger another full-scale lockdown.

Most of Ontario’s medical officers of health, and leading

medical associations, have not endorsed the colour-coded zone reopening plan of the provincial government which began Tuesday.

Much of the province has moved to the red zone, while Niagara was placed in the more restriction grey zone, which means most businesses, including restaurants, remain closed. The province is allowing retail outlets to open at 25 per cent capacity.

In Toronto and Peel, which remain under the full stay-athome order, the medical officers of health have asked the province not to lift the lockdown for another two weeks in a bid to prevent the variants from spreading.

Niagara’s grey zone status will last until at least March 1. Hirji, who recommended the province maintain lockdown restrictions in Niagara, would not say what zone he thinks Niagara should move to.

Hirji will be imposing his restrictions regardless of what zone Niagara is moved to to hold off a third COVID-19 wave “for as long as possible.”

In October, Hirji issued an order that required restaurants and bars had confirmed patrons are with members of their immediate households — up to the maximum allowed at the current alert level — or a maximum of two essential contacts.

At the time, Hirji faced considerably political push back, with regional council and Niagara Falls city council asking him to reconsider the order.

Some politicians councillors, like Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati, went as far as to falsely claim that Hirji’s orders were “not the law” and were “outside the provincial framework.”

In fact, medical officers of health are empowered under provincial law to make such orders in section 22 of the Ontario Health Protection and Promotion Act.

When Hirji makes new orders, it will be under the authority granted him under that act.

At Tuesday’s committee meeting, Hirji said cases of COVID-19 spread among restaurant patrons fell dramatically after his order was made. While those cases were a key driver of community spread in the early stages of the second wave, by the latter half of November they had fallen to a nearly negligible level. By that time, however, the second wave had significant momentum and cases exploded in December and January.