Here's what a return to modified Step 2 COVID-19 restrictions means for Waterloo region
CBC
Waterloo region, like the rest of the province, will move into a modified step two of COVID-19 restrictions as of Wednesday morning.
The move was announced by the Ontario government on Monday and will last until at least Jan. 26.
It includes the move to remote learning for public and private schools until at least Jan. 17. School buildings can be open for child care and to provide in-person classes for students with special education needs who can't be accommodated remotely, and staff who cannot "deliver quality instruction from home."
The region's medical officer of health, Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang, said in a press release that the highly transmissible Omicron variant of COVID-19 has pushed case numbers higher than have been seen before in the community.
The number of reported new COVID-19 cases in Waterloo region was 487 on Tuesday, although that number is believed to be below the actual number of cases due to limitations on who can get a PCR test.
But Wang said the measures taken to curb spread of the virus will be temporary.
"We will overcome this wave of COVID-19, like we have done before, and to do so we must continue to work together to protect our community and our health system," Wang said in the release.
Regional officials encouraged people to get their first, second and/or third doses of the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as they're eligible. Appointments can be booked through the region's website.
Here's a look at what's allowed:
For indoor gatherings, the limit is five people.
For outdoor gatherings, the limit is 10 people.
The three hospitals in Waterloo region announced that from Jan. 4 to Jan. 17, they would only provide urgent, emergent and cancer surgical procedures.
On Wednesday, the province says chief medical officer of health Dr. Kieran Moore will reinstate directive two for hospitals, which will "pause all non-emergent and non-urgent surgeries and procedures in order to preserve critical care and human resource capacity."
If you have a medical concern, local officials encourage people to reach out to their family doctor, a walk-in clinic, or Telehealth Ontario, or go to the hospital if it's an emergency.
Run 3 Space | Play Space Running Game
Traffic Jam 3D | Online Racing Game
Duck Hunt | Play Old Classic Game
The province's Chief Public Health Office has identified between four and eight infants who require medication to protect them against measles.
It's turtle nesting season in Ontario and conservationists are working to protect endangered species and their nests.
Both Ontario's privacy commissioner and Ontario Health are investigating a reported data breach affecting Ontario Health atHome, the province's home-care coordination service.
During a Thursday afternoon meeting earlier this month in Brooks, Alta., Justice Dallas Miller, chair of Alberta's new electoral boundaries commission, outlined the central challenge facing the panel.
Five doctors at a St. John's hospital have tendered a joint notice of resignation, saying their work environment has become "unsafe for both patient care and provider well-being," CBC Investigates has learned.
Adeb Arianson fled his home in Kabul just days before the capital of Afghanistan fell to the Taliban in 2021, as Western nations were evacuating their citizens and panic seized the city.
New Brunswick's two regional health authorities say the transition of primary care to family health teams has opened up access for tens of thousands of doctorless patients, with more to come.
The Toronto Raptors are parting ways with team president Masai Ujiri, according to ESPN and Sportsnet.
After at least 22 drownings in Quebec since the start of the year — including two at Montreal's Verdun Beach in recent weeks — the Quebec Lifesaving Society is renewing its calls for caution.
Winnipeg's Portage and Main intersection is embedded in the story of Canada — the crossroads of the country and one of its windiest corners — and it's held that lore despite being inaccessible to pedestrians for 46 years.
Saskatchewan's Opposition NDP is calling on the provincial government to drop the requirement for used vehicles bought outside of the province to be inspected before they can be registered.
After years of legal proceedings, a man has been found not guilty of killing his common-law partner and setting fire to their mobile home in Boyle, Alta.
Rules around school zones aren't changing on July 1, contrary to what some "disreputable websites" are claiming, says the B.C. RCMP's Highway Patrol.