[ad_1]
Premier Doug Ford is expected to release guidelines this afternoon on the type of gatherings Ontario residents will be able to hold over the holidays.
Toronto and the Peel region are currently on a 28-day lockdown, which will expire a few days before Christmas.
Under current restrictions, restaurants can only offer take-out and delivery, and non-essential businesses have been forced to close shops for in-person purchases.
In the province’s color-coded reopening panel lockout category, residents are only required to meet with their own family members, and people have been told to go out for essential purposes only, including grocery shopping, going to medical appointments, and doing exercise.
Mayor John Tory says he doesn’t believe the provincial council for party meetings in Toronto will move away from the restrictions currently in place.
“Right now there are restrictions that say you shouldn’t spend time with people outside the home, with the exception of people living alone. And so I think you’ll see something more along that line, ”Tory told CP24 Wednesday morning.
The daily case count of new COVID-19 infections in Ontario has not dropped below 1,000 since November 5, reaching a record high of 1,588 on November 21.
Toronto and the Peel region continue to see the highest number of new COVID-19 infections in the province every day.
The seven-day moving average of new cases is now 413 in Toronto and 421 in Peel.
Tory said that to keep the virus under control, strict limits will be required on collection in private homes during the holidays.
“There will be strong recommendations, if not restrictions, that will be placed on the types of activities that people can engage in,” he said.
“Even though the 28-day period is over and we’ve seen improvements, the last thing everyone wants to see … is to go back to some sort of closure or set of restrictions in the new year because we haven’t been paying attention to our behavior at Christmas “.
In Quebec, where the seven-day moving average of new infections is now 1,182, Premier François Legault eased restrictions for a four-day period, allowing residents of the province to attend two rallies of up to 10 people between December 24th and December 24th. 27.
On Monday, Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister asked residents to reunite only with those in their immediate families over the holidays due to an increase in new cases in that province.
On Wednesday morning, Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease expert, told CP24 that the recommendations given to Ontarians will likely be similar to those in Manitoba.
“I think we’re going to have a significantly changed holiday season, it’s pretty clear. Especially given how we’re doing in these hot spots. I never know what they will say, but I guess it will be similar to our Thanksgiving message which was that if you don’t live under that roof, don’t go into that house, ”she said.
“We know the interior spaces, the crowded spaces, the confined spaces where people don’t wear masks in the interior spaces, we know that this is how it is conveyed, so we should avoid it at all costs. Virtually connect, connect outdoors, connect securely, but we don’t have big family reunions. “
Ford, Health Minister Christine Elliott and Dr. David Williams, Ontario Health Director, will release guidelines for the province’s festive gatherings at a press conference at Queen’s Park at 1pm.
The announcement will be streamed live on CP24.com.
.
[ad_2]
Source link
