No new COVID-19 cases in Eastern Ontario, but outbreaks persist
Ottawa Public Health on Tuesday recorded no new cases of COVID-19, and no new deaths in the previous 24 hours.
It was the same elsewhere in the region, with no new cases reported by any regional health units in Eastern Ontario.
Ottawa Public Health did, however, declare an outbreak at the Amica Westboro Park home on Richmond Road, as of July 5, when a staff member tested positive for the virus. A second outbreak remains at the Perley and Rideau Veterans’ Health Centre’s Rideau building with 11 reported cases among staff and residents. One death has been reported at the institution.
An outbreak at the city-run Peter C. Clark Centre has been declared cleared. There were eight deaths among 45 cases at the centre.
The province, meanwhile, introduced legislation Tuesday to enable the extension of some pandemic emergency orders over the next year, after the official state of emergency ends July 15.
Premier Doug Ford said that the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act would allow the province to address the risks and effects of the outbreak as the province reopens.
Solicitor General Sylvia Jones said the legislation would “provide the government with the necessary flexibility to ensure select tools are in place to protect vulnerable populations, such as seniors, and respond to this deadly virus,” adding that the legislation is needed to “bridge the gap” between the strict lockdown and public-health measures required to initially flatten the virus curve, and the less stringent conditions needed as COVID -19 case numbers improve.
“It allows us to transition away from the declaration of emergency, which is an important signal to people that we’re on our way out,” she said.
“But it also allows us to ensure that — because frankly, we don’t have a vaccine for COVID-19 — that we still can keep in place the important tools we need.”
The new legislation would maintain the orders in effect under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act for an additional 30 days, with possible further extensions of 30 days each on cabinet recommendation.
Cabinet would also be allowed to amend certain emergency orders if the amendments relate to labour redeployment or workplace and management rules; the closure of spaces or regulations regarding how businesses can be open; compliance with public health advice; or rules related to public gatherings.
The proposed legislation would limit the government’s ability to extend or amend orders to one year, unless extended by the provincial legislature.
Ford dismissed concerns that the legislation gives the government overarching powers.
“We haven’t overused that power at all,” he said.
“I’m dead against big government,” he added.
“I’m dead against the Big Brother/nanny state telling you what to do. That’s just not me, but we have to help the people of Ontario get through this, (and) there’s certain things that we’ve got to move, and we can’t just sit around and wait for three or four weeks. We’ve got to move in hours.”