Wellington County Aims To End State Of Emergency By End Of Year

In consultation with the Medical Officer of Health for Wellington
Dufferin-Guelph Public Health, the County of Wellington aims to end its State of Emergency on
December 31, 2021 at 11:59 pm if COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to decline and
if the paediatric COVID-19 vaccination (ages 5-11 years old) process is under way.

The County declared a State of Emergency on March 23, 2020, in response to the COVID-19
pandemic. The State of Emergency provides Warden Kelly Linton the authority to take actions
and make orders he considers to be necessary to protect the health, safety, property and
welfare of County residents.

The State of Emergency also delegates some additional authority to the County’s Chief
Administrative Officer, Scott Wilson. It has enabled the County to rapidly redeploy staff to
assist at the Wellington Terrace Long Term Care Home and in COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics.

“I have spoken with City of Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie and Dufferin County Warden Darren
White, and we are all on the same page,” said Warden Kelly Linton. “While there is no longer a
need for a local State of Emergency to be in place, the pandemic is not over. I continue to urge
all residents to get vaccinated and continue to follow guidance from Wellington-Dufferin
Guelph Public Health.”

“After nearly 20 months of a global pandemic, it is time to chart a path back to something more
normal for all of us. I applaud our municipal partners for all they have done to protect residents
from COVID-19 and look forward to charting a careful end to restrictions that reflects the reality
and needs of our communities,” said Dr. Nicola Mercer Medical Officer of Health and CEO for
Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health. “Ending the pandemic is a job for all of us. Please
continue to follow public health guidance so that as we approach the time to ease restrictions,
we are as safe and as ready as we can be.”

To date, nearly 80% of eligible Wellington County residents are fully vaccinated with a COVID-
19 vaccine.