With the state of emergency expiring on Tuesday, Ontario is expected to begin regionally reopening its economy—and Kingston is on the list.
The Canadian Press reported on Saturday that the Kingston, Frontenac, and Lennox and Addington (KFL&A) region will be among a handful of regions allowed to move into the green zone on Wednesday, which will allow restaurants and non-essential businesses to open their doors.
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Ontario will have an “emergency brake” in place, according to a senior government official, which will allow the government to swiftly move any given region into lockdown if it sees a rapid uptick in transmission or if the healthcare system becomes overwhelmed.
As of Saturday afternoon, KFL&A Public Health reported 14 active cases in the region. Queen’s has reported zero new cases for the week of Feb. 1 to 7 with one active case. Ontario reported 1,670 cases of COVID-19 on Friday. Cases have been steadily declining since peaking in early January.
Despite the decline in cases, public health officials have warned of the spread of new variants of the virus. KFL&A Public Health reported the first and only case of the B.1.1.7 variant on Jan. 25.
Students looking to get tested for COVID-19 can book an appointment at Queen’s Satellite COVID-19 Assessment Centre in Mitchell Hall through Student Wellness Services (SWS).
SWS is now offering asymptomatic testing. Appointments can be booked Monday to Friday.
Tags
Covid-19, provincial government
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