we’ve seen other jurisdictions struggle when removing too many measures, too soon. in their most recent modelling, the ontario covid-19 science advisory table rightly pointed to nordic countries as a cautionary tale. finland and denmark suddenly removed almost all public health measures and have experienced a rapid surge in cases. ontario is taking a different approach.
that doesn’t mean that cases won’t rise. in fact, as more of us head indoors, ontarians should expect to see an increase through the winter. as i’ve said before, this is not cause for alarm, and we are prepared to respond to any scenario. the pandemic is now primarily in the unvaccinated and every person fully vaccinated reduces the risk of impact on our hospitals and our icus.
as the province manages covid-19 for the long-term, the ultimate goal is to ensure a balanced approach with the least amount of disruption to people and businesses. responses will be tailored to local context and conditions. for example, if a particular region is seeing a pattern of outbreaks in a specific setting, local public health officials may choose to reapply measures across a local area or broader regions to make that setting or area safer, including capacity limits, distancing requirements, and requiring proof-of-vaccination. at this time, i do not foresee the need to reapply provincewide measures like broadscale shutdowns or business closures, unless a new vaccine-resistant variant enters our country or the province’s hospitals are at risk of becoming overwhelmed.