The North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit Chief Medical Officer anticipates the region will remain in the Red Zone.
"We are not back to normal yet," stated Jim Chirico, Chief Medical Officer for the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit.
"We are not on an island and we have to consider the COVID-19 situations around us. We have worked hard as a district to keep our case numbers low It is really up to each of us to continue to do so to protect our most vulnerable and enable us to continue on a path to steady re-opening," he continued.
Chirico applauded the region for keeping the numbers down but he believes the decision to move out of Red into Orange, Yellow, or Green can be a complicated process.
Currently, the Health Unit District only has three active COVID-19 cases all within the Nipissing portion of the district.
"There are a lot of complex things we have to deal with and there is not just a number that determines the recommendation," said Chirico.
"As for what I send to the cabinet and what level we go to, I provide a recommendation from a local perspective.
"We also have to look at the numbers around us, what the trends are. There are so many factors that come into play. There really is not a number that we can say if we reach this number then we can move into the next color."
Chirico's advice is we move as a region and move slowly.
"We do know the quickest path to a sustained long-term re-opening is not opening too early and there are too many indicators right now that are suggesting we are trending upwards not downwards so we have to be very cautious."
