Greater Sudbury lifts state of emergency order
As health conditions continue to improve and Ontario lifts COVID-19 restrictions, the City of Greater Sudbury is ending its state of emergency order.
"The local state of emergency was declared on April 6, 2020, following the declaration of a provincial state of emergency, and after careful consideration by the Community Control Group," the city said in a news release Tuesday.
"The local state of emergency is no longer required as the pandemic response continues toward recovery efforts and COVID-19 activities become a part of routine operations."
That emergency order officially ended Monday at 11:59 p.m.
Greater Sudbury Deputy Mayor Al Sizer said as we emerge from the pandemic, "COVID-19 has not disappeared."
"We are gradually returning to as close to pre-pandemic life as we have been in two years. While these continued changes are a sign of better days ahead, it doesn’t mean throwing caution to the wind," Sizer said in a news release from the city.
"As we learn to manage and live with this virus, let’s continue to make simple, smart decisions to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe – like getting vaccinated and boosted, and staying home when we’re sick. Just as importantly, please be kind and respect the choices of others who may be approaching this new normal at a different pace."
With the provincial mask mandate being lifted, facial coverings will no longer be required in most municipal cities. Masks will still be required on GOVA Transit, visitors and staff at Pioneer Manor, health care settings, high-risk congregate care settings, and places where required federally.
"While masks will be optional in most settings, individuals should assess their situation to determine what is best for them. With the Omicron variant still circulating widely, Public Health Sudbury & Districts medical officer of health Dr. Penny Sutcliffe continues to strongly recommend the use of masks, especially in crowded indoor settings and for those at higher risk for infection," the city said.
Tom Davies Square will reopen to walk-in service, but appointments can still be made in advance.
"In-person attendance at city council and most committee meetings will resume March 22. Residents, media and members of council will have the option to attend council chambers in person or to attend virtually. In-person attendance at planning committee meetings is expected to resume in May," the city said.
Sudbury's hospital, Health Sciences North, "continues to experience challenges in acute care capacity with COVID-19 admissions exceeding 2020 and 2021 levels."
As of noon March 14, HSN had 49 patients with COVID-19, including two in the intensive care unit. Hospital staff are also caring for 71 patients who were previously admitted for COVID-19, but are no longer positive.
-Files from Lyndsay Aelick
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Saskatchewan households will continue to receive carbon tax rebate: Trudeau
Households in Saskatchewan will continue to receive Canada Carbon Rebate payments, despite the province refusing to remit the federal carbon price on natural gas, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday.
'It's just so hard to let it go': Umar Zameer still haunted by death of Toronto police officer
“It's just so hard to let it go. I mean, everyone is telling me, ‘you have to move on,’ but I know someone is not here [anymore]. So I don't know how I will move on." That’s what Umar Zameer, the man recently acquitted in the death of a Toronto police officer, told CTV News Toronto in a sit-down interview on Tuesday.
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko won't play in Game 2
The Vancouver Canucks will be without all-star goalie Thatcher Demko when they face the Nashville Predators in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
Pedestrian, baby injured after stroller struck and dragged by vehicle in Squamish, B.C.
Police say a baby and a pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a vehicle struck a baby stroller and dragged it for two blocks before stopping in Squamish, B.C.