Mother’s Day gatherings boosted virus cases, health minister says
Ford also urges anyone from large Toronto park crowd to get tested
TORONTO—Mother’s Day gatherings contrary to physical distancing rules helped boost Ontario’s COVID-19 cases, the health minister said Monday, and those rising numbers — plus concern over a large crowd at a Toronto park over the weekend — are delaying any easing of those rules.
Ontario reported more than 400 new COVID-19 cases Monday for a fifth straight day, higher than the province has seen for several previous five-day periods.
That trend predates the province’s Stage 1 of reopening launched on May 19, Health Minister Christine Elliott said.
“The increase in the number of cases that we’re seeing now in the last few days really relates back to the week before, with the Mother’s Day events and so on, people seeing families when they should not have been more than five people together,” she said.
Premier Doug Ford himself has admitted that two of his daughters visited that weekend, leading to a group of at least six people at his home. Provincial officials have told Ontarians to avoid being within two metres of anyone outside their household, and not to gather in groups larger than five.
Torontonians flocked on Saturday to Trinity Bellwoods, a popular downtown park, where city officials said thousands of people flouted physical distancing rules.
Ford said he’s disappointed with everyone who was there.
“What I worry about is them going back home, how about their family members? Their brothers, sisters, mothers, aunts and grandparents? Weren’t they thinking of them when they went there?” he said. “My recommendation to anyone at Trinity Bellwoods, why don’t you do us all a favour and go get tested now.”
Associate chief medical officer of health Dr. Barbara Yaffe later noted that the incubation period can be up to 14 days, so she instead recommended those people self-monitor and see if they develop symptoms first.
Green party Leader Mike Schreiner criticized Ford for contradicting health officials with his testing comments.
“The premier is putting public health at risk if he is making this up as he goes along,” Schreiner said in a statement.
Ford’s comments came as the province attempts to boost low testing numbers — reported Monday as 8,170, despite a daily capacity of nearly 25,000.
Ontario has struggled to boost its testing numbers after completing a blitz of testing nearly every resident and staff member of long-term-care homes.
Ford announced Sunday that anyone concerned they may have been exposed to COVID-19
can now get tested, whether or not they have symptoms. He said mass testing is the province’s best defence against the virus and a new testing strategy targeting specific sectors will be unveiled this week.
The premier has spoken about testing asymptomatic frontline health-care workers, large workplaces such as food manufacturing facilities, groups such as truck or taxi drivers, and doing a second round of testing in long-term care.
He said Monday that Ontario will target specific postal codes that are hot spots, such as parts of Peel Region and Toronto, as well as the Windsor-Essex area.