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Toronto Police taking “zero tolerance” approach to physical distancing Ontario extends emergency orders to April 23

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5:18 pm Toronto has more than 2,000 COVID-19 cases

The number of COVID-19 cases in Toronto has passed the 2,000 mark. As of 12:30 pm on Saturday, city public health officials reported 2,065 cases of COVID-19, 105 recovered cases and 79 deaths. There are also 58 institutional outbreaks in Toronto.

Of the city’s total cases, 17 per cent have required hospitalization and 5.59 per cent have been treated in intensive care units.


4:08 pm Wage subsidy bill expected to be enacted this weekend

Parliament is expected to pass the $73-billion wage subsidy bill today. MPs debated Bill C-14 on Saturday after the minority Liberals struck a deal with opposition parties to fast-track the emergency legislation through the House of Commons.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in the House for the emergency sitting, which began shortly after noon. The senate will then debate the bill and it is expected to receive royal assent from Governor General Julie Payette before the end of the day.


3:03 pm Toronto Police to take “zero tolerance” approach to physical distancing

Toronto police chief Mark Saunders told reporters on Saturday that the force is “moving pass the education piece” of the city’s enforcement blitz to a zero tolerance approach.

Speaking in High Park, Saunders said cooler weather has kept more people inside this weekend but he forecasted that the coming warm weather will tempt residents to ahead outdoors and break the rules.

“The weather has been helping us out tremendously. Whenever it gets extremely warm or nice, the social distancing rule is breached quite a bit more,” he said.

“The public is pretty aware of what we’re asking for in terms of physical distancing,” he explained, adding that cops are moving out of the “education” phase of the blitz. “So what we’re going to be doing is moving toward a zero tolerance with some common sense factors to it, effective today.”

The zero tolerance blitz will last until April 13 and may be extended, he added.

In an open letter dated April 10 and addressed to Saunders and Municipal Licensing and Standards head Carleton Grant, Mayor John Tory  said “the time has come for stricter enforcement” of the two-metre physical distancing rule.

Although he said the majority of city residents are voluntarily following the guidelines, he also said the city has “reports of everything from bonfires on the beach to hanging out in groups in parking lots to playing pickup sports in closed areas, all of which involve groups of people who don’t live with each other and thus could spread the virus.”

Since April 4, police and bylaw officers have issued 53 tickets, given 2,500 cautions and towed four vehicles to members of the public who are not following physical distancing rules in public parks or squares.


11:05 am Ontario’s COVID-19 cases go up by 411

The province’s cases of COVID-19 has gone by 411 – or 6.6 per cent – to 6,648. There are 2,858 that have been resolved and 253 have died in Ontario. The number of cases hospitalized is 691, with 257 in intensive care and 215 in intensive care on ventilators.

The total number of people tested is 96,321 and 1,517 cases are under investigation.


10:24 am Ontario extends emergency orders to April 23

The province has extended coronavirus emergency orders to April 23 and added new orders. 

The new measures ban recreational camping on Crowd lands effective April 9 make it easier to repurpose buildings and put up temporary structures like tents to reduce pressure on health-care facilities and shelters and temporarily enable hospitals to capacity by using beds and services of retirement homes.

The new orders also aims to “improve cash flow” in the construction industry. “This will lift the suspension of limitation periods and procedural time periods under the Construction Act and allow the release of holdback payments to contractors and subcontractors.”

Previous emergency orders, including the closing of non-essential workplaces and prohibiting events and gatherings of more than five people, have been extended.


10 am Canada has more than 22,000 cases of COVID-19

As of Wednesday, there are 22,148 cases of COVID-19 in Canada and 569 people have died. The outbreak is a serious public health threat though most people who contract the virus have not been hospitalized. 

Symptoms include cough, fever, difficulty breathing and pneumonia in both lungs and may take up to 14 days to appear after exposure. People age 65 and over and people with compromised immune systems and/or underlying medical conditions have a higher risk of contracting a severe case.

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