Top COVID-19 stories and news
- Canada’s worker benefits: What we know so far
- Can’t get grocery delivery? Here’s what to do
- York U profs develop COVID-19 prediction tool for Canada
- Opinion: We can’t police our way out of a pandemic
- How the coronavirus pandemic is changing the ways we have sex
Case summary
- As of 4 pm on April 21, there are 3,255 known cases of COVID-19 in Ontario.
- 1,023 cases have been resolved in the province and 67 people have died.
- As of 1 pm on April 3, there are 986 cases in Toronto and 13 people have died.
Follow the latest Toronto news on coronavirus
5:40 pm Social distancing rule-breakers could get $1,000 fines
Toronto has set the maximum fine for failing to follow social distancing rules in parks to $1,000, the mayor confirmed on Friday.
An Ontario judge approved the measure a day after John Tory announced a new bylaw penalizing any two people who don’t live together and fail to keep at least two metres distance from others in Toronto parks and public spaces.
Officers are also able to issue higher tickets that would be subject to the courts, where the fines increase to $5,000 upon conviction.
Over the weekend, the city’s COVID-19 enforcement team, including 160 cops and city personnel plus 200 bylaw enforcement officers, will be conducting a blitz.
So far, police have issued 21 physical distancing tickets, the city said in a statement.
4:30 pm Toronto anticipates up to 3,000 COVID-19-related deaths
Toronto may see 600 to 3,000 throughout the coronavirus pandemic, the city’s medical officer of health Eileen de Villa said today. Speaking during Toronto’s daily press briefing, de Villa said the figures are based on provincial modelling that projects somewhere between 3,000 to 15,000 deaths.
“These are more than just numbers. They are our friends, our families, our neighbours, members of our community,” she said. “They are our essential workers, our health care workers. And they are the people that work each and every day to help keep us safe. Most of all, these deaths are preventable. This is what keeps me up at night.”
She once again urged everyone who can stay home to do so follow social distancing guidelines. “If we all do as much as we can, we can still reduce these numbers,” she said.
In terms of daily numbers, de Villa said there are a total of 986 cases of COVID-19 in Toronto, including 812 confirmed cases and 174 probable cases. Of those cases, 89 people are in hospital and 42 are in intensive care units. Approximately 27 per cent of the cases are attributed to community spread and there have been 13 deaths.
3:07 pm Ontario pares list of essential businesses and orders shutdown of construction sites
Premier Doug Ford has reduced the number of essential workplaces and services that will be allowed to stay open in an effort to stem the spread of COVID-19.
At a press conference this afternoon, the premier released an updated list of essential services. It orders the shutdown of all industrial construction sites in the province. Only necessary infrastructure projects will go on. All new residential construction will stop. The premier also announced stepped-up inspections to enforce the shutdowns.
“This was no easy task. But lives are on the line. We’ve had to do the unthinkable in the span of two weeks. We’ve had to shut down most of our economy. We’ve had to make difficult choices. But my friends when I saw those projections and the lives we have been able to save so far I know we’ve all done the right thing. Help us write an ending to our story that our ancestors can be proud of.”
The premier was referring to projections released at an earlier press conference held by Peter Donnelly, president and CEO of Public Health, showing that COVID-19 may claim as many as 15,000 lives in Ontario, some 1,600 this month alone.
The premier was asked if he regretted not paring down the list of essential businesses and services earlier. And if he is prepared to shut down more. His response was that “For every trigger we pull there are 10 other triggers that are affected by our decisions. Our number one priority is to save lives right now.”
The premier said, however, that he is not seeking that the federal government impose the Emergencies Act.
“If this doesn’t give a wake-up call to people I don’t know what does. I don’t know what more we can say that if we don’t stay at home and practice social distancing the impact is going to be serious.”
The stopping of industrial and commercial construction will not include residential homes currently underway. Ford said he wants to make sure that the 45,000 families who are weeks away from moving into new homes have a place to stay. “We can’t have them on the street or living on top of each other in crowded conditions.”
The premier also expressed disappointment that US President Donald Trump has ordered 3M not to distribute protective masks to US trading partners. He says Ontario manufacturers will soon be producing masks and other protective equipment, including face shields, but did not offer a specific timeline.
Health Minister Christine Elliott, who also took part in the press conference, said that hospitals have plans in place to deal with the expected surge in COVID-19 numbers, despite best-case scenarios showing hospitals may run out of intensive care unit beds by next week.
She reiterated the premier’s warning. “Ontario is entering a critical juncture. This is no time for complacency. We’ve been preparing for this moment for months now. We are relying on every single Ontarian. If you don’t join us our health care system will be overwhelmed. These are more than mere numbers they are our friends and family. Most of all they are avoidable.”
12:50 pm Ontario projections show coronavirus may claim up to 15,000 lives
The province’s COVID-19 command table has released projections this afternoon showing the coronavirus crisis may claim up to 15,000 lives over the course of the pandemic in Ontario.
“It’s important that we are robustly realistic about the scale of the crisis we face,” Peter Donnelly, president and CEO of Public Health, said in a press conference this afternoon.
Donnelly said that if Ontario had not done anything, the pandemic could have resulted in more than 100,000 deaths.
If stricter measures are undertaken, the death toll could be limited to between 3,000 and 15,000 over the course of the pandemic, he added. There could be 1,600 deaths in Ontario in April alone if stricter measures are not implemented.
Donnelly said the province expects two more waves of the disease, and that the pandemic could last for 18 to 24 months.
Following a trajectory “roughly in line” with the United States, Donnelly said the striking thing from the data is the high mortality rate over the age of 80, which is at 16 per cent, which “tells us we must focus on protecting the elderly.
He reiterated that Ontarians “can change the outcome by staying at home and physical distancing.”
Ontario is reporting 3,255 cases and 67 deaths. An additional 1,245 are under investigation. Some 462 people have had to be hospitalized. More than 66,000 people have been tested.
11:45 am Ontario reports 462 new COVID-19 cases
The number of cases of COVID-19 in Ontario has gone up by 462 since yesterday. The provinces total confirmed cases is now 3,255, a 16.5 per cent increase over the day before.
Public health officials also reported 14 new deaths, bringing Ontario’s death toll to 67. There are 462 people in hospital, 194 in intensive care units (ICU) and 140 in ICU on ventilators.
The number of resolved cases is 1,023. There are 1,245 cases under investigation and the total number of people tested is 66,753.
11:37 am Trudeau announces $100 million for food banks
The federal government is spending $100 million to meet the “urgent food needs of vulnerable Canadians,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Friday. During his daily press briefing on the coronavirus pandemic, Trudeau said the aid will go to food banks and other organizations that supply food to vulnerable populations across Canada.
He also said the government has signed a deal with Amazon to send medical supplies to the provinces.
9:46 am One in 10 mortgages at big Canadian banks are being deferred
Canada’s six biggest banks have deferred more than 10 per cent of mortgages in their portfolios since deferral measures were announced by the government, the Canadian Bankers Association has announced.
The group adds that its members have received almost 500,000 requests for mortgage deferrals.
The deferral program, announced two weeks ago by the federal government, would allow mortgage holders to postpone payments for up to six months, subject to bank approval.
Click here to read more on Canada’s mortgage deferral program.
9:46 am Ontario issues emergency order to boost contact tracing
The province has issued a new emergency order under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act to allow public health units that will allow volunteers to do collective bargaining unit work, effective immediately. The move is based on a recommendation by medical officer of health David Williams and was taken to more aggressively trace who people with COVID-19 have come in contact with and ensure those contacts are in isolation.
9:30 am Ontario to share “stark” COVID-19 projection numbers
Provincial health officials will share COVID-19 modelling numbers that Doug Ford referred to as “stark” during yesterday’s news conference. At noon today, Ontario Health president Matthew Anderson, University of Toronto public health school dean Adalsteinn Brown and Public Health Ontario president Peter Donnelly will brief the public on projected case numbers and deaths.
9 am City to resume yard waste pick-up for two weeks
Toronto will resume yard waste collection for two weeks, beginning April 6 to April 17. Seasonal yard waste collection was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic to focus staff on collecting garbage, recycling and organics. After the two-week period, the city will assess if it will be able to maintain service during the COVID-19 response.
