‘Fingers crossed’ Hamilton may go to next phase of reopening next week

Hamiltonians can expand the number of people they can hug

Hamilton’s medical officer of health is optimistic the city will move to the next stage of reopening next week.

“I’m hopeful,” said Dr. Elizabeth Richardson. “It depends on how the next few days go and discussions further at a provincial level.”

Hamilton was excluded when much of Ontario moved to the next phase of reopening Friday. Also stuck in Phase 1 is Halton, Haldimand and Norfolk, Niagara, Toronto, Peel, Durham, York, Windsor, Essex and Lambton County.

The province said the decision will be reviewed every Monday with an eye to opening the following Friday.

“There is a bit of reading the tea leaves in terms of where we are going,” said Richardson. “We’re going to be looking at the whole week’s worth of data ... We’ve got a few days left to go. Fingers crossed.”

So far the numbers look good. Hamilton had only four new COVID-19 infections Friday to bring the number of confirmed and probable cases to 755.

“Hamilton has done a great job in terms of controlling the spread,” said Richardson. “We’re at zero outbreaks. These are all positive signs with only four or five new cases per day. We’re at a point where we can really understand the transmission and what is happening.”

Hamilton can still go ahead now with some key changes, including expanding the number of people you can hug.

Ontarians are now allowed to expand their bubble beyond their own household. Also known as a social circle, it can be as large as 10 people who don’t need to physically distance. The count includes those you currently live with.

“This is the group of people with whom you are going to let the guard down, go back to giving people hugs, go back to that closer interaction,” said Richardson. “We know how important that is to people’s well-being.”

Pick wisely because you can’t be in multiple bubbles. All of the 10 people have to agree that they are going to be in a social circle only with each other.

“We really need to think about a stable social bubble so it’s not changing,” said Richardson. “It really needs to be an agreement among that group.”

She said those who are most vulnerable to COVID-19 may decide “it’s not the right time for them.”

The bubbles are very different from the increase in gathering size that also started Friday provincewide. Up to 10 people who aren’t in the same social circle can get together, but must still physically distance.

Places of worship can open at 30 per cent of their building capacity and child-care centres can restart.

As of June 18, restricted visits can gradually start again at long-term-care homes, retirement homes and other residential care settings.

Prominent infectious disease experts have said they don’t understand why Hamilton is being held back.

Dr. Dominik Mertz hypothesized that Hamilton and Halton are the victims of geography located between hot spots in the Greater Toronto Area and outbreaks at farms in Haldimand, Norfolk and Niagara.

“What I expect needs to happen is that the whole region down here — Haldimand and Norfolk, Niagara, Hamilton and Halton — doing well at the same time,” said Mertz, associate professor of infectious diseases at McMaster University.

But ultimately he said it’s “difficult to say.”

“If we were told in a way that we could understand the rationale behind it, it would be easier,” he said.

Richardson has said Hamilton was excluded mainly because of a spike of cases in the last few weeks among young adults breaking the rules around physical distancing.

“Based on the numbers in certain regions, we saw certain spikes,” said Premier Doug Ford Friday.

“I just ask people in those regions, please be patient ... I know we’ll have good news very shortly for you.”