The Ontario government is changing the way it will put restrictions on certain areas seeing spikes in COVID cases.
The 'COVID-19 Response Framework to Help Keep the Province Safe and Open' will place regions into five levels: Green-Prevent, Yellow-Protect, Orange-Restrict, Red-Control, and Lockdown.
Each level outlines the types of public health and workplace safety measures for businesses and organizations.
Officials say the framework will ensure that public health measures are targeted, incremental and responsive to help limit the spread of COVID-19, while keeping schools and businesses open, maintaining health system capacity and protecting vulnerable people, including those in long-term care.
Niagara is currently in the green level of 'prevent', but Brant, Hamilton and Halton have moved up the scale to yellow's 'protect' which enhances public awareness and fines.
The system goes into effect this weekend, when restrictions previously placed on the hot spots of Peel Region, York Region and Ottawa will ease.
Toronto will continue seeing added restrictions for another week.
Final decisions on moving public health unit regions into the framework will be made by the government based on updated data and in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health, local medical officers of health and other health experts, and will be reviewed weekly.
Going forward, the government will continually assess the impact of public health measures applied to public health unit regions for 28 days, or two COVID-19 incubation periods.