Waterloo region in no rush to exit Step 3 of reopening plan, health and business officials say

Health and business officials in Waterloo region say they are in no rush to exit Step 3 of the province's COVID-19 reopening plans.

Ian McLean, president and CEO of the Greater K-W Chamber of Commerce, saidhe's hearing from various businesses and groups thatpeople want to be cautious in any reopening.

"Just because we can go out of stage three, presumably, doesn't mean we should. Most people are concerned with cautiously reopening. Staying open is the prime objective," he said Friday during a weekly regional COVID-19 media update.

"Racing ahead and having to have another lockdown in September or October would be devastatingfor business."

Dr.Rabia Bana, an associate medical officer of health for the region, agreed that becausecase rates are "marginally up" this week compared to last week, there's no need to move quickly.

"Our goal needs to be to have the highest possible vaccination rates. That is really going to be our key in order to reopen safely and gradually,"Bana said.

"We continue to monitor the situation as things open up and continue to monitor our case rates.That, in conjunction with the vaccination rates, is really going to determine what types of measures we need in place going forward, and that will be a conversation that we have with the province and in consultation with our health system partners."

As of Friday, it's been 21 days since the province entered Step 3. The province has not yet set a date to exit Step 3, but it has laid out other thresholds for vaccination that must be met before it does. Itincludes that75 per cent of people 12 and older must have received their second dose, which has nearly been met. On Friday, the province reported 72.39 per cent of eligible Ontarians have a second dose.

As well, the province says all public health units must have 70 per cent of eligible people fully vaccinated. Waterloo region has met that target as 72 per cent of people have both doses.

• Ontario releases guidelines on 'exit step' of reopening

The so-called "exit stage" of the plan would mean there wouldn't be capacity limits at businesses or events, but there would still besome restrictions, including signs at businesses to remind people to check themselves for symptoms, businesses would still need to have a safety plan and masking would likely still be required as provincial officials say they're concerned about the delta variant, also known as the B1617 variant first detected in India.

26 new COVID-19 cases

Region of Waterloo Public Health reported 26 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday. There were no new deaths reported.

Ontario reported 340 new cases of COVID-19 Fridaymorning, the most on a single day since June 26.

The region reported 10 active outbreaks:

• Workplaces: Seven.
• Hospitals: Two.
• Child care/summer camp: One.

New patients admitted to hospitals daily

The region reported there were 14 people in the region's three hospitals infectious with COVID-19 as of Friday. As well, there were 11 people in the intensive-care unit. This number includes people who are no longer infectious with COVID-19, but who still need specialized care.

In a weekly update on hospitalizations, St. Mary's General Hospital president Lee Faircloughsaid that while the number of people in the reigon's three hospitals who are infectious with COVID-19 has decreased, they continue to care for people who have lasting health impacts from the virus.

"People continue to be admitted to hospital. Last week we had six positive and 13 resolved patient in our care; those numbers have both increased since then. Though generally speaking the situation in Waterloo region looks good, we are still seeing new COVID-positive patients daily," Fairclough said in the emailed statement.

Fairclough noted there are concerns among Ontario's hospitals of a potential fourth wave and the impact it may have.

"Most experts agree that this will largely affect those who are unvaccinated. As such, it's important to continue to encourage your friends, family, neighbours and coworkers to get vaccinated if they haven't already," she said.

Bana also encourage people to make getting vaccinated part of their weekend plans. She said it's easy to do as all regionally run clinics allow for drop-in appointments for first or second doses and one of the vaccination buses will be the Fairview Mall bus terminal Saturday from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Across Ontario, Bana said the risk of getting COVID-19 is eight times higher for people who are unvaccinated compared to people who are fully vaccinated.

"We continue to remain at risk for a resurgence of delta, which is why we still need more people to get vaccinated.We need to aim for 90 per centor greater for both first and second doses. The highest vaccination rates are required to keep our schools and community safe this fall," she said.

"We need everyone to help prevent a fourth wave," she said. "Please make it a priority to get vaccinated."