Ontario Premier Doug Ford is expected to announce plans today to slowly reopen the province following its state of emergency and stay-at-home order.
A senior government source who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter says Ford will announce that the state of emergency declared last month will be allowed to expire as scheduled on Tuesday.
However, the source adds that a stay-at-home order will remain in effect as regions gradually transition back to the government’s colour-coded restrictions system over the next three weeks.
The source says the government will also introduce an “emergency brake” that allows the province’s top doctor to immediately move a region back into lockdown if cases spike.
Ontario has been in lockdown since Boxing Day, and on Jan. 12, the province declared a state of emergency over rising cases of COVID-19.
It also instituted a stay-at-home order, which prohibited people from going out except for essential purposes, such as for exercise or to buy groceries.
Speaking to CP24 about what may be announced, Toronto Mayor John Tory said he thought allowing non-essential retail to open for customers might be a logical start.
“The retail side might get some dispensation to allow some people inside their stores which I think would be terrific because they’ve been operating under a somewhat unfair regime where big box stores were able to have people (inside) while they remained closed,” he said.
Liberal leader Steven Del Duca urged Ford to allow small businesses to reopen for in-person shopping like big box stores have been allowed to operate throughout the state of emergency.
“Small business owners and their employees have been devastated by closures, all the while their Big Box competition has held near-monopolies on the economy,” he said.
Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams had previously said he would like to see daily cases in the province fall below 1,000 per day before relaxing any measures.
The province has reported between 1,000 to 1,600 cases per day over the past week.
UHN infectious diseases specialist Dr. Isaac Bogoch said the reopening must be timed carefully this time around, as we risk increasing the average person’s daily contacts just as remaining schools reopen, and more transmissible coronavirus variants of concern become more prevalent in Ontario.
“I think it’s very reasonable for the kids to be in school for a little bit before we take those gradual next steps in reopening.”
Williams and Ford will be joined by Solicitor General Sylvia Jones and Health Minister Christine Elliott at Queen’s Park on Monday for a televised announcement, scheduled for 1 p.m.
CP24.com will broadcast the announcement live.
— With files from the Canadian Press
