Dough Ford has official made the anticipated announcement we have been waiting for on Monday at Queen’s Park as The Ontario Government has extended the stay-at-home order for most of the province but will be transiting back to the colour-coded shutdown system as the reopening of the economy begins.
While the state of emergency will expire in Ontario on Tuesday night, the stay-at-home order will stay in order in Toronto, Peel, Region and York Region until at least Feb. 22 as Ontario has been in a provincewide lockdown since Dec. 26.
“Today we’re seeing some sunlight break through the clouds,” Ford said. “My friends, the measures are working. Staying home is saving lives.”
The following public health units will move into the green category — the least stringent in terms of COVID-19 restrictions — on Wednesday:
- Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
- Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington Public Health
- Renfrew County and District Health Unit
Among the
m is that non-essential retailers in the grey zones will be allowed to open their doors with a 25 per cent capacity limit. The province has optimistically said the move is to “support the province’s economic recovery.”
This also applies to some other businesses, including discount and big box retailers, liquor stores, hardware stores and garden centres.
“Our number one priority will always be protecting the health and safety of all individuals, families and workers across the province,” Ford said. “But we must also consider the severe impact COVID-19 is having on our businesses. That’s why we have been listening to business owners, and we are strengthening and adjusting the framework to allow more businesses to safely reopen and get people back to work.”
The government got to the point and said any regions that have a “rapid increase in COVID-19 transmission or if its health-care system risks becoming overwhelmed” will be immediately placed back into lockdown to interrupt transmission.
“Let me be clear, if we see the numbers spike again, we are prepared to take further action as necessary,” Ford said. “We need to keep bending the curve, and we need to stay home as much as possible.”
Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health said that Monday’s announcement is not a “return to normal” and that people should still only leave their houses for essential reasons.
“While we are seeing our numbers trend in the right direction, our situation remains precarious as the variants of concern remain a serious risk,” Williams said.
Ontario health officials previously said that daily COVID-19 cases need to be below 1,000 per day before restrictions can ease their way to an end. On Monday, the province reported 1,265 new COVID-19 cases.
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