Toronto asks province to impose regional restrictions

Mayor says provincial officials have been given ‘deeply troubling’ data

As Toronto’s COVID-19 picture darkens, the city is urging the Ontario government to impose strict new regional restrictions on top of measures imposed by the city last Saturday. Neither Mayor John Tory nor public health chief Dr. Eileen de Villa would reveal if recommendations under scrutiny by Premier Doug Ford’s government and provincial public health officials amount to a return to lockdown.

But in a briefing Wednesday with reporters, they said the measures were drafted after consultation with officials in other hot spots such as Peel and York regions, and are best enacted by the province regionwide.

Tory said provincial officials have been given “deeply troubling” regional COVID-19 data.

“I support doing everything we can based on public health advice to stop the spread of COVID in our city,” he said. “I believe this means taking further steps now.”

At Queen’s Park, Ford said he will announce new restrictions for Toronto, Peel and York regions on Friday.

“The virus is spreading at alarming rates in these areas,” Ford told a news conference. “Right now, we’re staring down the barrel of another lockdown in these regions.”

Tory earlier suggested officials were looking at capping the number of people allowed in stores and malls.

Asked recently about outbreaks tied to weddings, de Villa said she is open to a hard cap on guest numbers, rather than just 30 per cent of the site’s capacity, if that would help reduce infections.

Toronto’s submission includes recommendations for supports for workers to ensure they can get time off to get tested and that they won’t fear losing income or their jobs if they have to isolate so that they don’t infect others.

COVID-19 deaths, hospitalizations including intensivecare beds, seniors home outbreaks, test positivity rates among the overall population nd especially young people —

ing, Tory and de Villa said.

Among troubling indicators — Toronto recorded 22 new COTV V most since the start of the resurgence of the virus.

but one were at long-termAll care sites, signalling the virus is once again stalking seniors homes where most of Toronto’s COVID-19 deaths to date have taken place.

Some 27 seniors homes in Toronto are currently suffering outbreaks, including the cityowned 250-bed Fudger House

n Sherbourne Street. Since Oct. 12, 112 residents have tested positive and nine of them have died.