Ontario’s Minister of Northern Development says he understands the stay-at-home order is causing some frustration in parts of the region with fewer COVID-19 cases, but stresses it’s something that had to be done.
Greg Rickford stresses this is an evolving situation and a work in progress against not just one variant but a quick spread of the UK variant and now the harsh realities of the Brazilian variant.
“Both of those have proved to be far more contagious, and frankly, far more morbid, especially amongst younger populations. We made a decision to go in on this altogether because, frankly, we’re a little bit more compromised out here,” he says.
Rickford adds the region’s hospitals currently can’t handle any overcapacity issues and patients can’t be transferred to Thunder Bay or Winnipeg unless it’s a matter of “life or limb.”
The Kenora-Rainy River MPP says the good news is that vaccinations are advancing quite quickly, and he’s hopeful the government won’t have to consider this action again.
