BACK TO STAGE 2, AND IT'S REALLY FRUSTRATING
Tighter restrictions reintroduced because of COVID-19
It will be at least four weeks before anyone in Ottawa eats in a restaurant, goes to the gym, sees a movie or attends a gallery or theatre after Premier Doug Ford imposed strict new anti-COVID-19 measures on the city and two other pandemic “hot spots” in Ontario.
The measures were to go into effect at 12:01 a.m. Saturday in Ottawa, Toronto and Peel, a region west of Toronto that includes Mississauga, Brampton and Pearson International Airport. The measures will be reviewed in 28 days by the province's chief medical officer of health to determine whether they will be lifted — or extended.
“All trends are going in the wrong direction,” a sombre Ford said during a briefing Friday in Toronto. “Left unchecked, we risk worst-case scenarios first seen in Italy and New York City.”
Ontario reported a record 939 new COVID-19 infections Friday, including 126 in Ottawa.
“The curve is not just growing, it's growing exponentially,” Health Minister Christine Elliott said at the same briefing. “We need to take action now to avoid a very severe second wave.”
Elliott urged Ontarians outside the hot spots to limit their activity to slow the spread of the virus.
“While these measures are being applied in Ottawa, Peel and Toronto, we're also advising everyone to limit trips outside their homes except for essential purposes such as work, school, groceries, medical appointments and socially distanced, outdoor physical activity,” Elliott said.
Ford announced the new measures after an emergency meeting of his cabinet Friday morning, following a Thursday night briefing from medical advisers. It was a drastic turnaround by the premier, who only three days before had insisted Ontario was “flattening the curve” when he resisted calls for stricter anti-COVID measures from the Ontario Hospital Association, Toronto's chief medical officer of health and others.
Asked why it took so long, Ford said the decision to order the shutdown kept him awake at night.
“I stood up here for days fighting saying, `No. We have to keep (these businesses) going. But, after the numbers I saw yesterday. … Just a few days ago we had 500 new cases, and a few days later it jumped up over 900, almost double.”
He called the decision to clamp down in the hot spots the single toughest decision he has had to make as premier.
Among the figures presented Friday was that hospital ICU admissions were on pace to triple in less than 30 days if the spread of the virus didn't slow. Early in the pandemic, those who tested positive often had just a handful of close contacts to trace, but recently diagnosed cases have had close contact with upwards of 100 people. In some areas, tests are showing as much as 10 per cent of the population is infected, Ford said.
Asked how soon Ontario's situation could come to rival the disease's spread in Italy and New York City, Dr. Adalsteinn Brown, one of Ford's medical advisory team members, said, “It's a matter of weeks and days, not a matter of months.”
The return to “modified Stage 2” restrictions in Ottawa, Toronto and Peel does allow restaurants to continue offering takeout and food deliveries, and Ford urged residents to support businesses whenever they could.
“My heart just breaks for these folks and I understand what these decisions mean for each and everyone of you. I know what this will do to businesses that are already struggling and I'll do everything in my power to support you. I will never forget the sacrifices you're making,” Ford said, his voice cracking with emotion.
Outdoor gym classes will also be allowed, but casinos and racetracks will be closed.
“No personal-care services will be allowed where face coverings must be removed for the service,” Ford said.
Provincial courts will stay open, as will retail stores and schools.
“We cannot go back to Stage 1. We need to keep our schools open and protect our long-term care homes,” Ford said. “That's our top priority. Nothing matters more.”
The province is freeing up $300 million to shore up small businesses. In addition, it has waived provincial and municipal property tax bills for small businesses as well as hydro and natural gas bills.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced additional financial measures Friday, including a revamped commercial rent-relief program covering as much as 65 per cent of eligible expenses for companies and as much as 90 per cent for those subjected to localized lockdowns. The government also said it would cover as much as 65 per cent of eligible wages through its subsidy program, but only until the end of December, and expand a well-used loan program by providing an additional $10,000 that could be forgivable.