Easing restrictions in Toronto and Peel going to be delayed
Ford suggests province will grant request over illness, death concerns
TORONTO — Ontario Premier Doug Ford suggested Thursday his government would grant a request from Toronto and Peel Region to remain under a stayat-home order for two more weeks.
The two COVID-19 hot spots are set to have their strict pandemic restrictions loosened Monday but top local health officials have asked for a delay, saying easing measures next week could lead to more illness and death.
A decision on those two regions, as well as York Region and North Bay, which also remain under a stay-home order, is expected Friday.
Ford said Thursday he’s “always supported local medical officers of health.”
“No one understands their area, in Peel and Toronto, more than their local medical officers of health,” he said. “I’m sure we’re gonna follow the advice of the doctors.”
The top doctors for Toronto and Peel penned a joint letter to the province’s chief medical officer this week asking for current restrictions — which include the closure of non-essential retail — to be kept in place until at least March 9. Dr. Eileen de Villa and Dr. Lawrence Loh cited concerns about the spread of more contagious COVID-19 variants and still-high levels of hospitalizations when making their request.
Ford said the province was also concerned about variants.
“We have to keep our guard up constantly,” he said. Meanwhile, Dr. David Williams, the province’s chief medical officer, said he needed to review more data before making a recommendation on Toronto and Peel to the government.
“It’s not just a rigid number that flips the switch,” he said. “It’s a combination of qualitative and quantitative information that feeds into it. That gives us the best advice when we give that up to the ministers and cabinet.”
Williams added that, while the province’s cases continue to trend downward, Ontario remains in a “precarious” place because of the variant strains.
Ford’s government began gradually lifting the stay-athome order for parts of the province last week, with restrictions being loosened for the majority of Ontario this week. All those regions were transitioned back to the province’s colour-coded restrictions system.
The economic reopening has been taking place despite expert warnings that it might set off a third wave.