Toronto Mayor John Tory said on Wednesday, December 16 that with the record-high number of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations, the Greater Toronto Area may install stricter lockdowns during the Christmas holidays.
According to CP24, John Tory said that he is discussing with the provincial government and the mayors of surrounding areas to increase restrictions after the current 28-day lockdown period ends on December 21.
He said that due to school closures and reduced business activities, it may be more acceptable to increase restrictions in the second half of December. “It’s Christmas soon, and school will be closed. Because of the Christmas holidays involved, many companies are not operating at full capacity.”
On Tuesday, Ontario saw more than 2,000 infections in a single day for the first time since the outbreak, and the infection rate exceeded 5%, the highest in three weeks. The number of hospitalized infected patients reached a record of 921, of which 267 received intensive care.
The surge in the number of hospitalized patients caused the Ontario Public Health Bureau to remind hospitals to put in place a surge plan to free up beds for more infected patients.
John Tory said that the specific plan is still to be discussed, but he hopes to include areas near the city.
Any new measures taken by Ontario will be the responsibility of the provincial government. John Tory hopes to announce measures as soon as possible.
He said: “Everyone should be notified, which means that a decision must be made before this Sunday.”
