| | | |

County Of Wellington To End State Of Emergency On March 1st

Wellington County

In consultation with the Medical Officer of Health for WellingtonDufferin-Guelph Public Health, the County of Wellington will end its State of Emergency on
March 1.

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.
The City of Guelph and Dufferin County, both of whom fall under the Wellington-DufferinGuelph Public Health service delivery area, will also end their local States of Emergency on
March 1.

“After nearly 2 years of a global pandemic, it is time to start returning to normal life,” said
Warden Kelly Linton. “As key public health system indicators are continuing to improve, there
is no longer a need for our local State of Emergency. This positive progress is the direct result of
the majority of our residents acting responsibly by getting vaccinated and following basic public
health guidelines. I continue to encourage each and every one of you to get vaccinated so that
as a community we can protect the gains we have made.”

“The long-standing partnership between WDG Public Health and Wellington County has made a
real difference in helping residents deal with COVID-19 over the past two years,” said Dr. Nicola
Mercer, CEO and Medical Officer of Health for Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health. “As
the pandemic impacted local communities, those at risk were able to understand the best
measures to take based on the communications and actions of the County. It has been a
difficult time for many, but ensuring residents knew where to get vaccinated and what actions
to take to protect themselves and their loved ones, has been a constant priority. I look forward
to continuing this level of cooperation with Wellington County and all local municipalities as we
apply the lessons learned over the past two years and navigate the future keeping in mind the
health and safety of all residents.”

To date, over 80% of eligible Wellington County residents (ages 5+) are fully vaccinated with a
COVID-19 vaccine.