Ontario reports 1,534 cases of COVID-19 and 14 deaths

In the Greater Toronto Area, there are 490 new cases in the Peel region, 460 in Toronto and 130 in the York region.

Health Minister Christine Elliott said another 1,429 cases have been marked as resolved and nearly 46,400 tests have been completed.

A record 1,588 cases were reported on Saturday.

According to the province, other public health units that have reported double-digit case increases include:

• Hamilton: 66.
• Durham Region: 50.
• Waterloo: 54.
• Halton Region: 48.
• Ottawa: 32.
• Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph: 30.
• Windsor: 29.
• Simcoe Muskoka: 24.
• Niagara: 22.
• Gray-Bruce: 16.
• Brant: 12.
• Thunder Bay: 11.
• Haldimand-Norfolk: 10.

Elsewhere in the province, the Durham and Waterloo regions are moving into the red control zones on Monday, while Huron-Perth, Simcoe-Muskoka, southwestern Ontario and Windsor are moving into the orange restricted zone on Monday.

Shoppers flock to the malls before the blockade

Several malls in the Greater Toronto Area have announced extended hours for Saturday and Sunday before Monday lockout.

Malls will be limited to curbside pickup or delivery only starting Monday as part of the new restrictions.

Yorkdale Shopping Center and Scarborough Town Center will be open until 9pm on Sundays. The Square One Mall in Mississauga will also be open until 9pm this weekend.

Crowds gathered in shopping malls on Saturday and parking lots were full of cars.

Asked about concerns about an influx of shoppers and whether malls are doing enough to control crowds, Cadillac Fairview told CBC News that the health of employees, customers and guests is its “top priority.”

“While this is disappointing news for our community, with everything we know right now, we believe this is the best course of action in the current COVID-19 environment,” Cadillac Fairview said of the lockdown.

“We will continue to monitor the situation closely and collaborate with the provincial and public health authorities if necessary.”

Brampton needs “real help” for essential workers: mayor

In a Sunday interview with CBC’s Rosemary Barton, Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown said other levels of government discussions on restaurant and retailer closures ignore what residents really need to fight COVID-19.

“I’m exhausted from arguing about this, when the real help we need is an isolation center for our essential workers, sickness benefits for people who will frankly work with symptoms because they can’t afford to lose a paycheck.” , He said.

Brampton neighborhoods that are experiencing a high number of COVID-19 infections are also home to a higher percentage of workers and essential workers. There have been 116 workplace outbreaks in industrial settings in the city, Brown said.

Dr. Amanpreet Brar, a resident general surgery physician, told CBC News she was concerned about her mother who works at a Brampton factory. The lack of paid sick leave, especially for temporary workers in industrial settings, creates conditions ripe for the spread of the virus, he said.

In response to Brar’s concerns, Brown said Brampton is in dire need of an isolation center for essential workers who don’t have room at home to adequately isolate themselves. “I needed it yesterday, I needed it three months ago,” he said.

He said he has spoken at provincial and federal government levels about the importance of sick leave, saying people are forced to go to work because they can’t lose a paycheck, even if they’re sick.

Currently, the new national paid sick leave legislation, Bill C-4, is in the Senate and has not yet been passed.

Industrial sectors are not closing and governments have not addressed the challenges for workers who are exiting that industry, he said.

“There are some scapegoats for some of these essential workers and people living in Brampton,” he said. “You have to thank one of these essential workers. They will work, they take a greater risk and we have to have our back. The least we can do is a sickness benefit and an isolation center.”

Brown said while the province has provided 70 more public health workers and two other testing centers, other levels of government need to work faster to address Brampton’s concerns.

Blocking measures for Toronto and Peel include:

• No indoor encounters with anyone outside a person’s family.
• People living alone may have close contact with another family.
• Outdoor meetings are limited to 10 people.
• Restaurants are limited to take-out, drive-thru, and delivery only.
• Religious services, funerals and weddings are limited to 10 people indoors or 10 people outdoors.
• The gyms are closed.
• Retail and non-essential malls are limited to curbside pickup or delivery.
• Personal care services, casinos and bingo halls are closed.
• Post-secondary institutions move to virtual education, with some exceptions, such as clinical training.
• Pharmacies, medical and dental offices, grocery stores, essential services remain open.
• Schools will also remain open.