NORTH HURON – Huron Perth Public Health (HPPH) served a Section 22 order on a North Huron business operator following a recent inspection blitz in the township, a press release said on Nov. 5.
The release stated, “Under Section 22 of the Health Protection and Promotion Act, a medical officer of health can issue an order to ‘require a person to take or to refrain from taking any action in respect of a communicable disease.’”
The release said the inspection blitz occurred the previous week, focusing on provincial requirements under the Reopening Ontario Act, including the proof of vaccination requirement for certain indoor public settings.
HPPH representatives did a follow-up investigation into one business, the report said. As a result, the Section 22 order was issued.
“The Order outlines requirements the operator must follow to ensure compliance with Ontario Regulation 364/20 under the Reopening Ontario Act, and other recommendations made by Huron Perth Public Health,” states the release.
The order will remain in place pending compliance with its requirements.
The Wingham Advance Times reached out to HPPH for more information and received the following response via email.
“Due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, we have no further information to share on details of this investigation at this time, including the name of the operator.”
Ontario.ca outlines what may be included in the order through the Health Protection and Promotion Act, 1990, c. H.7:
(4) An order under this section may include, but is not limited to:
(a) requiring the owner or occupier of premises to close the premises or a specific part of the premises;
(b) requiring the placarding of premises to give notice of an order requiring the closing of the premises;
(c) requiring any person that the order states has or may have a communicable disease or is or may be infected with an agent of a communicable disease to isolate himself or herself and remain in isolation from other persons;
(d) requiring the cleaning or disinfecting, or both, of the premises or the thing specified in the order;
(e) requiring the destruction of the matter or thing specified in the order;
(f) requiring the person to whom the order is directed to submit to an examination by a physician and to deliver to the medical officer of health a report by the physician as to whether or not the person has a communicable disease or is or is not infected with an agent of a communicable disease;
(g) requiring the person to whom the order is directed in respect of a communicable disease that is a virulent disease to place himself or herself forthwith under the care and treatment of a physician;
(h) requiring the person to whom the order is directed to conduct himself or herself in such a manner as not to expose another person to infection. R.S.O. 1990, c. H.7, s. 22 (4); 1997, c. 30, Sched. D, s. 3 (2).
