Ontario spread leads to 4week shutdown

Canada’s most populous province entered a shutdown Saturday for four weeks because of a third surge of coronavirus infections fueled by more contagious virus variants.

“We’re now fighting a new enemy. The new variants are far more dangerous than before. They spread faster and they do more harm than the virus we were fighting last year. Young people are ending up in hospital,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford said. The measures bans indoor public events and gatherings. Retail and grocery stores remain open, along with schools. There is a 25% capacity limit in retail stores and 50% in supermarkets. Hair salons are closed, and no indoor or patio dining is allowed.

Ontario reported record numbers of patients in intensive care last week. Hot spots like Toronto already have largely been on lockdown since November but patios recently opened in Canada’s largest city. The new restrictions across the province come after months of unheeded warnings from health experts.

Dr. Andrew Morris, a professor of infectious diseases at the University of Toronto, called the Ford government “incompetent.”

“Don’t get me started,“Morris said. He said Ontario’s COVID situation “reflects a total and absolute abdication of responsibility for the health and wellbeing of our public.”

“It is a tragic and unequivocal failure, fertilized by repeated rejection of scientific evidence,” he said.

The announcement came after the province’s science advisers said stayathome orders were needed to control the third wave.

Vaccinations have ramped up in Canada in recent weeks, and all adults who want a vaccine are expected to get at least one dose by July.