TORONTO — Ontario Premier Doug Ford says there are no plans to pull any regions back a step in the province’s economic reopening process despite new outbreaks in some areas that have moved into Stage 3.
Ford says the new cases don’t amount to a serious spike and he will rely on the advice of the province’s health-care command table in making any decisions related to the COVID-19 recovery plan.
Two cities in Stage 3 — Ottawa and Sudbury — have reported fresh cases of the novel coronavirus in recent days.
Ottawa reported 25 cases on Tuesday, and Sudbury reported eight on Monday, seven of them in people under 19.
Ontario reported 111 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, including the Ottawa cases, and four new deaths.
Windsor-Essex, which has seen a number of outbreaks on farms, reported 22 more cases, while Toronto reported six.
The province is slated to make an announcement Wednesday on when Windsor-Essex, Toronto and nearby Peel Region will progress to Stage 3, which allows nearly every business and public space to reopen with health restrictions in place and increases the permissible size of social gatherings.
The total number of COVID-19 cases in Ontario now stands at 38,910, which includes 2,768 deaths, and 34,567 resolved cases. There were 106 new resolved cases reported.
Health Minister Christine Elliott said 27 of the province’s 34 public health units are reporting five or fewer cases, with 16 reporting none.
The provincial government said it was able to complete 17,334 tests the previous day.
It also said 96 people are in hospital — up 14 — because of the virus, including 31 people in intensive care and 18 on ventilators.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 28, 2020.
The Canadian Press
