Thunder Bay moving into lockdown starting March 1

The Thunder Bay District Health Unit (TBDHU) service area will move into another lockdown next week, the province announced Friday.

The area, which includes the City of Thunder Bay, will move into Grey-Lockdown starting at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, March 1.

The announcement came the same day the TBDHU announced 60 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, and one new death, in its service area.

As of Friday, there were 349 confirmed active cases of the virus in the Thunder Bay district.

Grey-Lockdown will tighten restrictions in the region in several ways, including:

• Prohibiting indoor organized public events and social gatherings, except with members of the same household (individuals who live alone may have exclusive close contact with another household to help reduce the negative aspects of social isolation).
• Limiting outdoor gatherings to 10 people, when physical distancing can be maintained.
• Prohibiting indoor or outdoor service at restaurants and bars (take out, drive through and delivery is permitted).
• Closing all indoor or outdoor sports and recreation facilities, expect in the case of day camps, child care, or the sole use of high-performance athletes and professional leagues.
• Closing personal care services, casinos, bingo halls, gaming establishments, and cinemas (drive-in cinemas can open).

In-person shopping at retail stores, including supermarkets, will be permitted, subject to some restrictions, such as limiting the number of people in the store at one time.

A full list of restrictions can be found on the province's COVID-19 response framework website.