State Of Emergency To Remain In Place For Wellington County

In consultation with the Medical Officer of Health for WellingtonDufferin-Guelph Public Health, the State of Emergency in Wellington County will remain in
place.

The County had previously planned to end its State of Emergency on December 31 at 11:59 pm
if COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continued to decline, and if paediatric COVID-19
vaccinations (ages 5-11 years old) were well underway. The OMICRON variant is now spreading
quickly within the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph area and is expected to replace the DELTA
variant by the end of the month.

“In early November we were hopeful that we were on the other side of the COVID-19
pandemic,” said Warden Kelly Linton. “Due to the spread of the OMICRON variant in
Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph, and its uncertainty, the County’s State of Emergency will remain in
place. I continue to urge all residents to get vaccinated, get their booster shots as soon as they
are eligible, and continue to follow guidance from Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health.”

“I am grateful that the elected officials and staff of our municipalities continue to do everything
they can to protect residents of Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph,” said Dr. Nicola Mercer, Medical
Officer of Health and CEO for Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health. “The choice to keep
the states of emergency in place is a choice to prioritize the health of the people in this region.
It is a choice that will save lives. As the OMICRON variant spreads through our region, all of us
need to take the necessary steps and continue to make the tough choices that will help protect
us and preserve our progress against this pandemic.”

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.