TORONTO -- The Northwestern Health Unit is moving to Red-Control under the Ontario COVID-19 framework.
The district, which includes Kenora, Red Lake, Dryden, Sioux Lookout and Fort Frances, is currently in Yellow-Protect, but will make the switch at 12:01 a.m. on Monday.
The move means much tighter restrictions, including 10-person limits for in-person dining and lower capacities at gyms. Most personal care services can remain open, with fewer people allowed inside.
It's one of three districts moving in the framework. Lambton Public Health will switch to Grey-Lockdown, while Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit will switch to Yellow-Protect.
The announcement, made on Friday afternoon, comes on the same day the province applied the emergency brake to Sudbury, moving it into Grey-Lockdown.
There are presently 68 active COVID-19 cases in the Northwestern Health Unit catchment area, including 37 in the Kenora Region, 16 in the Sioux Lookout Region, eight in the Dryden/Red Lake Region and seven in the District of Rainy River.
There have been 560 total confirmed cases in the NWHU zone since the pandemic began. On Friday two variants of concern were found in Fort Frances and Dryden.
