York Region will move into a modified stage two next week, joining three other areas of the province that are already facing tightened public health restrictions.
Citing "concerning" trends in York Region, Premier Doug Ford made the announcement on Friday afternoon. The modified stage two restrictions that are already in place in Toronto, Peel and Ottawa — and include the closure of indoor dining, indoor gyms and fitness centres, casinos, cinemas and interactive exhibits — will be expanded to York Region at 12:01 a.m. on Monday and remain in effect for at least 28 days.
"By all accounts, the indicators are going in the wrong direction," said Ford, adding that the positivity rate — the percentage of tests that come back positive for COVID-19 — for York Region now stands at 2.77 per cent and is higher than the "high-alert threshold of 2.5 per cent."
York Region reported 127 new cases of COVID-19, its highest daily increase, on Thursday. On Friday, there were 62 new cases. The provincial government said hospitalizations have doubled during the past week, with increases in the number of people needing an ICU bed or a ventilator. The government also noted that between Oct. 3-9, the case rate jumped 49 per cent to nearly 39 per 100,000 people. Health Minister Christine Elliott said the provincial average was at about 33 cases per 100,000 people.
"We can’t let this virus get into our long-term care homes, we need to protect our schools and our communities, we need to keep performing vital surgeries in our hospitals, we need to stop the spread before things get worse, we need to avoid a full lockdown," said Ford.
Elliott said the announcement was a necessary step "to avoid the need for harsher measures in the future."
Ford, who said last week that imposing additional restrictions on the hot spot areas was the "toughest decision" he's made as premier, offered a similar sentiment on Friday.
"You have no idea how much I hate doing this, you’re up all night thinking (about) these companies," he said, adding that businesses could tap into tap into provincial supports for fixed costs and federal initiatives including the wage subsidy program. The premier said it wasn't an easy decision and while he takes "full responsibility" for the added restrictions, he needed to listen to the health experts.
Asked why the government wasn't introducing the restrictions sooner rather than waiting until after the weekend given the dire tone of the announcement, Ford said it's a balancing act.
"My poor docs that are trying, they get criticized when they put down the hammer ... tomorrow and everyone’s stuck with food, probably millions (and) millions of dollars of inventory in their freezers and fridge, and so they’re trying to balance it," he said, encouraging people to order takeout this weekend. He added that cabinet requested businesses be given a heads-up of a couple of days.
But not everyone agreed with delaying the restrictions, including Dr. Michael Warner, medical director of critical care at Michael Garron Hospital.
It sends a conflicting message. York region restaurants need to close to indoor dining...but not till Monday... so get to your nearest restaurant for indoor dining this W/E so they can sell off their inventory?
Financial subsidy for inventory loss might be better. https://t.co/ByoBkx0G9n
— Michael Warner (@drmwarner) October 16, 2020
The premier also said that Ontarians have a role to play in reducing the spread of the virus.
"I also ask the people, no matter what all three levels of government do, we need the people to follow the guidelines to the best of their abilities," he said, going on to deliver a warning to Halton. The region reported 46 new cases on Friday, up from 28 the day prior.
Ford spoke of hockey players in Halton who tested positive for COVID-19.
"It’s not the skating, it’s the guys, and there’s nothing wrong with it in normal times, they grab the case of beer, they go into a little dressing room and they have a couple cold ones and they’re stacked aside each other and all of a sudden 12 people out of 24 players got COVID," he said. "So things like that we just can't do."
"I’m begging the people at home, please help me out here, I don’t want to make that decision for Halton, please follow the guidelines to the best of your ability," he said.
New jobs headed to Mississauga
The premier made the announcement about York Region after lauding a plan by biotech company Roche to invest $500 million to set up a "Global Pharma Technical Operations" site in Mississauga.
The five-year investment is expected to create 200 jobs by the end of this year and another 300 by the end of 2023, with Ford saying that 95 per cent of the jobs would go to locals.
He said Ontario beat 12 other cities in the bid for this investment, adding that this signals the province is a place to "innovate" and "thrive."
The new site would be used to support the company's global manufacturing and supply chain operations, which would include monitoring the safety and distribution of pharmaceutical products shipped globally.
Flu shot
Despite ongoing reports of pharmacies running out of flu shots, Elliott again insisted on Friday that Ontario doesn't have a shortage of flu vaccines.
"I know there are some pharmacies right now that have run out, but they will be receiving regularly scheduled supplies," she said, adding that everyone who wants a flu shot will be able to get one.
"Stay within your area"
Progressive Conservative MPP Jane McKenna issued a joint public letter on Thursday requesting those living in hot spot areas to "voluntarily refrain from in-person visits to businesses outside their local area."
The premier seemed to agree. He said fitness clubs in areas surrounding the hot spots are "packed," suggesting people are travelling from regions where they're closed to ones where they're open.
"We just can’t have that, folks, especially on the fitness side, try to stay at home, try to do your fitness there, but if we cross the border and we start doing that then it’s just going to spread even more, so please just stay within your area," he said.
Ontario Together Fund
The provincial government is providing $2.5 million to support the production of medical-grade alcohol used in hand sanitizers.
Greenfield Global is putting $75 million into the company's Johnstown facility and the province said it would top up that amount with its own investment through the Ontario Together Fund.
The funding will go towards upgrading the company's distillation technology so that it can produce 114 million litres of medical-grade alcohol per year.
"Ontario is supporting companies like Greenfield Global so they can continue to provide made-in-Ontario solutions to reduce our dependence on foreign supply chains and strengthen our domestic capacity," said Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade Vic Fedeli.
Social media blitz
Toronto Mayor John Tory is trying to reach the province's youth with public health messaging. So, he's trying out TikTok, a video-sharing site, to share messages like "wash your hands" and "stay home if you're sick."
Trying out #TikTok as a way to reach more young people & get our key #COVID19 public health messages out. It’s so important for everyone – of all ages - to understand what they can do to help us stop this virus & get back on track. https://t.co/XwxtRkWLF4
— John Tory (@JohnTory) October 16, 2020
But that's not all the Toronto mayor is doing on the social media front. He joined other mayors from the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area to launch a campaign called #AskYourselfGTHA to help limit the spread of COVID-19.
Today the GTHA Mayors and Chairs announced our GTHA-wide COVID-19 campaign. The #AskYourselfGTHA campaign will help us in our fight against this virus and ensure that we are taking a regional approach to this pandemic. pic.twitter.com/doTNlg27ig
— John Tory (@JohnTory) October 16, 2020
The campaign identifies several activities that people might want to do and then states what they should do given the pandemic. One post suggests that instead of going to a club, people should "perfect your dance moves at home."
Is a dinner party worth putting your family and friends health on the line? Please do the right thing and don't gather this weekend. Take your social interactions online to help stop the spread of #COVID19 in our community. Do your part and stay apart. #AskYourselfGTHA pic.twitter.com/HEWyXuABfm
— Bonnie Crombie 🇨🇦 (@BonnieCrombie) October 16, 2020
"Zero tolerance"
Asked about mosques in Toronto facing threats, Premier Ford said he has "zero tolerance for discrimination" against any community.
"I have zero tolerance for people attacking mosques," said Ford, applauding the Muslim community for helping people throughout the pandemic with things like food. He added that there need to be "tougher sentences" for people who make threats or commit acts of hate against others.
"Let’s start putting down some heavy heavy sentences to send a message to the rest of the haters out there, we live in Ontario we just will not tolerate it," he said. "If I was a judge I’d throw 'em in jail and throw the key away, fix their little red wagons."
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