KITCHENER -- Wellington County, Dufferin County, and the City of Guelph will soon be under stricter COVID-19 pandemic protocols.
The Ontario government announced on Friday that the area is moving from the orange 'restrict' zone to the red 'control' zone when it comes to their public health restrictions.
The changes, which include indoor gatherings dropping from a maximum of 10 people to five, will come into effect on Monday.
Six other regions in Ontario will also be tightening their public health protocols come Monday, according to the province.
The shift to the red zone comes after Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph's Medical Officer of Health Dr. Nicola Mercer requested the provincial government do so as the number of cases increases in the area.
"We actually have had red level cases for quite a number of weeks now," she said Thursday. "Perhaps most troublingly we are also seeing a substantial increase in cases requiring hospitalization."
As of Dec. 11, there are 43 new COVID-19 cases in Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph. That brings the total to 1,743, including 1,451 resolved cases and 41 deaths.
There are 251 active cases, including 14 in hospital.
