New measures aimed at reducing the potential spread of COVID-19 in restaurant and banquet halls, personal care service establishments, and indoor fitness facilities in London and Middlesex County, will come into effect this Saturday at 12:01 a.m. Middlesex-London’s Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Chris Mackie, announced that the three Section 22 Class Orders issued under the Health Protection and Promotion Act will require additional public health measures to be taken at these businesses and facilities to fight the pandemic.
“Local businesses have done a tremendous job of operating safely under difficult circumstances,” says Dr. Chris Mackie, Medical Officer of Health with the Middlesex-London Health Unit. “We are learning more about higher risk situations, and this limited set of orders is being put in place to target specific circumstances where superspreading events can generate COVID-19 outbreaks, such as those seen recently in other communities.”
The first Order applies to restaurants and banquet halls and will limit the number of people who can sit at a table, whether indoors or outdoors, to six people. Additional requirements include collecting the contact information of all patrons at each table and that patrons remain seated at tables, spaced two metres apart, at all times except when entering, exiting, paying, picking up an order or using the washroom.
The second Order prohibits any personal care service that requires the client to remove their mask or face covering and that anyone providing this type of service be required to wear a mask or face covering. Employees or service providers who cannot wear a mask will not be permitted to have direct contact with clients.
The third Order requires fitness facilities to limit classes to only 10 participants, including staff. It also requires participants in a fitness class to maintain three metres of physical distance between one another.
The Orders apply to all food and drink facility operators (including bars, restaurants and banquet halls), all operators of indoor fitness facilities and all persons who provide personal care services related to the hair or body. Failure to comply with these Orders can result in fines of up to $5,000.00 for each day the offence occurs or continues. Businesses that fail to comply can be fined up to $25,000 for each day on which the offence occurs.
For more information about these Orders, please visit https://www.healthunit.com/section-22-orders-and-instructions. For more information about COVID-19, please visit www.healthunit.com/novel-coronavirus.
Media Contact:
Dan Flaherty, Communications Manager, Middlesex-London Health Unit,
519-617-0570 (cell)
Spokesperson:
Dr. Chris Mackie, Medical Officer of Health, Middlesex-London Health Unit