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
- How to financially navigate the COVID-19 pandemic
- What do I do if my roommates aren’t socially distancing?
- Bad religion: Prayer and the pandemic
Follow the latest Toronto news on coronavirus
6:20 pm Toronto’s COVID-19 cases go up by 113
The city’s public health officials reported an increase of 113 cases of COVID-19, bringing Toronto’s total number of cases to 1,232. Of those cases, 1,026 are confirmed and 206 are probable. There have been 69 recoveries, 140 people are in hospital with 58 in intensive care and there have been 25 deaths in Toronto. Community spread is responsible for 25 per cent of cases.
Over the weekend, Toronto Public Health officials and police initiated a “blitz” to enforce the city’s new physical distancing bylaw. On Sunday, the city said enforcement staff spoke with 780 people “to educate them on public health recommendations and closures” and cautioned an additional 373 people.
Police issued nine tickets while Municipal Licensing and Standards officers gave out one ticket related to park amenities and five to non-essential businesses that were operating in violation of provincial orders.
12:51 pm John Tory considering closing High Park during cherry blossom season
Mayor John Tory says he is considering closing High Park during cherry blossom season to prevent crowds from gathering. In an interview with CP24 on Sunday, the mayor said closing such a large park would be difficult but restricting vehicle access could be one way to limit visitors while physical distancing rules are in effect.
“What are you going to do put yellow tape around the entire park?” he said. “But I think what we have talked about is closing vehicle access to the park entirely so that people can’t take their cars in cause a lot of people who come to see the cherry blossoms come from elsewhere in the city. It is a shame but it is just one of those things where health has to come first.”
The city has closed park amenities and playgrounds to limit the spread of COVID-19 and passed a bylaw making it illegal to break physical distancing rules in parks and public squares.
The cherry blossoms are a huge attraction each spring, but the Twitter account that updates the public on bloom status has been suspended. A note on the High Park website reads:
“All Toronto parks are closed. Due to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak gatherings of large groups are prohibited. This includes crowds at High Park to watch the cherry blossoms. Sorry folks, you may not be able to check out the cherry trees in full bloom this year – it depends on the closures.”
12:21 pm Health Canada is reviewing non-medical mask guidelines
Canada’s chief public health officer Theresa Tam said on Sunday that she is in “active discussion” to provide advice to Canadians around wearing non-medical face masks.
During a press briefing on Sunday, Tam was asked why Canada has not followed health authorities in countries such as South Korea by advising people to wear face masks when in the presence of others.
“We are actively reviewing the evidence with the provinces and territories,” she said. “We will have more specific recommendations in a very short time frame.”
She added that wearing non-medical or homemade masks “hasn’t proved to protect the person from wearing it from getting the virus.
“Wearing a non-medical mask is an additional measure that we are considering to protect others around you,” she continued. “It’s a matter of you protecting others.
“What we want to do is provide thoughtful advice to Canadians so if they wear a mask, how do you do this properly? And I want to make sure we have good advice, even on homemade masks, how do you do that properly. What materials are appropriate, for example? All of this is under active discussion right now.”
In February, South Korea advised people to wear face masks when around others and to wear a new mask every day.
As the price of masks shot up due to high demand from neighbouring China, the country ordered domestic manufacturers of masks to limit exports to 10 per cent of their total production and implemented a rule that more than half of masks produced in South Korea be supplied by government-approved sellers.
11:47 am City acquires 12 more hotels to house high-risk people: Cressy
City councillor Joe Cressy said on Saturday that Toronto has acquired 12 new hotels – or 1,200 rooms – to house high-risk people during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Residents began moving-in last week, with a priority for high risk individuals, especially seniors,” Cressy tweeted. “This is just the start. Our objective – one person/family, one home.”
11:35 am CERB applications to open on April 6
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Sunday that applications for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) will open on April 6. Canadians who have stopped working due to COVID-19 are being asked to sign-up for based on their birthdays. The benefit provides $500 a week for up to 16 weeks and is retroactive to March 15.
If you apply for direct deposit, it will arrive in three-to-five days and if you choose to receive it by mail, you will get the money within 10 days, Trudeau said, adding that the government is working to ensure the IT systems are ready for “unprecedented demand.”
10:30 am Ontario has more than 4,000 cases of COVID-19
The number of cases of COVID-19 in the province went up by 408 – or 11. 2 per cent – since the day before. Public health official said on Sunday the province now has to known 4,038 cases, 1,449 cases have been resolved and 119 people have died.
There are 523 patients in hospital, 200 patients are in intensive care units and 154 are in ICUs on ventilators. The total number of people tested in Ontario is 75,046 and there are 981 cases under investigation.
April 4 Tory urges landlords to provide relief to small businesses
Mayor John Tory is asking commercial landlords who have shops and restaurants as tenants find ways to offer short-term relief during the coronavirus pandemic. In a video posted on YouTube on Saturday, Tory said the province should ban evictions for commercial tenants as it has done for residential tenants. He also asked landlords to sit down with their tenants and work out arrangements, like spreading out rent over the rest of the year.
April 4 Trudeau announces $40M for women’s shelters
The federal government has pledged $40 million for emergency shelters and sexual assault centres to help women experiencing domestic violence, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday during his daily press briefing. The feds will also spend an additional $10 million on emergency shelters for shelters serving Indigenous women and children and boost the Reaching Home program by $157 million, he said.
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