Ontario has extended the state of emergency an additional four weeks as the province recorded another concerning spike in new COVID-19 infections.
Health officials confirmed an additional 446 cases on Tuesday, as well as 17 more deaths, including two people under the age of 39.
The government voted to extend the emergency order until June 30th.
The order still bans social gatherings of more than five people who are not from the same household.
It also prohibits restaurants and bars from opening unless they are providing takeout or delivery.
However, Premier Doug Ford stresses “State of Emergency is not going to effect reopening what’s so ever. We are going to move forward with reopening. We are looking at a regional plan as well.”
Ford says making a regional plan takes a lot of work, and would be done during the second phase of reopening, suggesting that may happen this month.
“I understand the problems that these businesses are going through. But we are going as quickly as possible. I say it all the time no one wants to get the economy going more than I do. Once we start we are just going to go full steam ahead. We have a great plan.”
Ford says a number of cabinet ministers are hard at work on that plan.
Meantime, the Minister of Northern Development admits there is a strong desire right now to reopen the regional economy.
COVID-19 numbers remain stagnant across the north but Greg Rickford stresses they have to proceed out of an abundance of caution.
The Kenora-Rainy River MPP says we can’t open at the expense of remote communities and First Nations where healthcare resources are not what they are in more urban centres.
Rickford says the Minister of Health has been consulting with northern communities and the Premier has been listening carefully on what might work in northern Ontario and striking the necessary balance.
“There’s no question that these are trying times for small airlines and tourist operators. But our colleagues have been meeting and talking about these issues and we are hopeful in the not to distant future we will able to address these more meaningfully.”
