The Medical Officer of Health for Windsor-Essex is describing the province's three stage reopening plan as a "cautious approach."
Dr. Wajid Ahmed says it's not a bad idea to have a phased in approach to ensure the province is not opening up to early, to only shut down again.
"I think it's a cautious approach and it is important that we need to open up to things less risky from a spread prospective," says Dr. Ahmed.
He says starting on May 31, the health unit will be targeting children 12 and over to get vaccinated.
Dr. Ahmed says that will help the region's vaccination coverage.
He says the province is still dealing with variant of concern cases and the quick spread of the cases.
"We have noticed that in our local community as well that our cases changed rapidly in one to two days so I think, a phased approach is better and ensuring that allows everyone to get the vaccine," he says.
Dr. Ahmed says once businesses reopen, he wants them to stay open.
"I think the variant of concern and effectiveness of these vaccines are really really critical in ensuring that we sure open and we continue to stay open," says Dr. Ahmed.
As heard live AM800 news on Thursday, Premier Doug Ford announced the province can start to loosen restrictions because COVID-19 case rates and hospitalizations continue to decline while vaccination rates increase.
He outlined a three step plan where step one is expected to begin the week of June 14 and will see some non-essential retail reopen with 15 per cent capacity limits, allow outdoor gatherings of up to 10 people, and outdoor restaurant dining with four people at a table.
Ford also announced outdoor recreational facilities such as golf courses, tennis courts and marinas can reopen on Saturday with some restrictions.