WINDSOR, ONT. -- Ontario Premier Doug Ford came through with a promise by getting his hair cut in Leamington, the last area of the province to advance to Stage 2 of reopening.

Ford stopped in the southwestern Ontario town Thursday for his long-awaited cut and meetings with local farmers and business owners.

The premier chose Mastronardi Barbering for his first haircut since the COVID-19 emergency orders were put in place in March, closing hair salons.

“Very exciting, it really fulfills my heart,” said shop owner Henry Matronardi, who added he felt no pressure.

When the region was excluded from advancing with the rest of the province last month, Ford promised he would visit the area to get clipped.

“I’m just so happy to be here with the people of Leamington and Kingsville they’re just down to earth people. I absolutely love them,” Ford said in a video he posted on Twitter.

Leamington and Kingsville were the last municipalities in the province to move to Stage 2 of reopening last week. The other five municipalities in Windsor-Essex advanced to Stage 2 on June 25.

Ford said it was due to the high number of COVID-19 cases in the local agri-farm sector. On Thursday the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit said there are still about 150 active cases in farm workers in the region.

The region has been excluded from Stage 3 plans so far.

Ford will also be making another COVID-19-related announcement at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, as he continues an eight-week province-wide summer tour.

His news briefing will be at Craven Farms in Chatham with the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Ernie Hardeman. CTVNewsWindsor.ca will stream the announcement live.

Essex MPP Taras Natyshak said Ford should be taking more action to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the region.

He said Ford has held the region back from re-opening because the virus continues to sweep through, but has not tested the majority of farm workers, or managed the quarantine of workers arriving from other countries.

“Doug Ford is campaigning on a vanity tour of the province while our region is still crying out for help,” said Natyshak. “For months, we have been calling on Ford to take action, and make the necessary investment to get outbreaks under control. He still refuses to do that and it’s families and local businesses that are left to suffer the consequences of his failures.”

Ford said both farmers and workers are now cooperating with getting tested. On June 24, Ontario announced a three-point plan to stop COVID-19 outbreaks in Windsor-Essex.