Ontario government extends emergency orders for COVID-19 pandemic

TORONTO — Ontario has extended its emergency orders for the COVID-19 pandemic until July 22.

Premier Doug Ford said the extension of the orders will help protect vulnerable people and support frontline workers as the economy continues to re-open.

Some of the measures will make it easier for public health units to redeploy staff for contact tracing efforts and ease restrictions for staffing at long-term care homes.

The extension comes as the provincial government tabled a motion on Wednesday to extend the province’s state of emergency until July 24.

The current state of emergency is set to expire July 15.

The provincial government isn’t able to issue new emergency orders once the state of emergency ends, but it can extend existing orders.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 9, 2020.

The Canadian Press