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Toronto’s COVID-19 cases rise 74 to 512 Doug Ford announces penalties for price gouging

Top COVID-19 stories and news

Case summary

  • As of 10:30 am on March 28  there are 1,118 active cases of  COVID-19 in Ontario.
  • Eight cases have been resolved in the province and 18 people have died.
  • There are 8,690 are under investigation and 33,240 cases have tested negative.
  • As of 1 p m on March 28, there are 512 confirmed cases in Toronto, four people have died and 24 people have recovered.

Follow the latest Toronto news on coronavirus


6:18 pm Ontario courts impose restrictions on court admissions, including media

The Ontario Court of Justice is restricting public access to courthouses and courtrooms.

The Ministry of Attorney General released a statement this evening saying that, while “it recognizes the critical importance of open courts,” attendance in courthouses and courtrooms will be restricted to judicial officials, essential court staff, and those attending “for urgent and/or essential intake court functions.”

The restrictions will also apply to members of the media.

While “accredited media” may continue to have access to court records, those who wish to attend proceedings must make a request for remote access.


5:17 pm Toronto to open four child-care centres for essential workers

Toronto is the first city to receive permission to open child-care centres. Ontario previously ordered daycare centres to close, but is authorizing some to reopen for children of essential and critical service workers.

The four centres are located across the city in existing city-run licensed child-care facilities and will by staffed by city child-care workers. “Licensed child care service will be available at no cost to families, funded by the province of Ontario, for children under age 12,” the city said in a statement. “Services will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week – a first for the city.”

Public health officials prefer children to remain at home if possible as the centres are for workers who have no alternative. To be eligible, workers must be required to report to work at an official work location without being able to work from home. City staff who meet that criteria are also eligible. The list of eligible workers is here.


5:11 pm Via Rail to implement health checks

In response to prime minister Justin Trudeau’s announcement today that Canadians showing symptoms of COVID-19 will not be allowed to board trains, Via Rail says it will advise passengers that employees will conduct “a series of health checks” on customers before boarding.

The checks include asking “a simple health question and looking for visible signs of illness prior to boarding,” the rail service said in a statement.

If passengers are experiencing symptoms similar to a cold or flu (fever, cough, difficulty breathing), they will be denied boarding and travel for 14 days, or until they produce a medical certificate confirming symptoms are not related to COVID-19.

They can also be denied boarding if they have previously been denied boarding for travel in last 14 days due to medical reasons related to COVID-19.


4:50 pm Toronto’s confirmed COVID-19 cases goes up by 74

As of 1 pm today, the number of positive cases of COVID-19 in Toronto is 512. Public health officials said today the number includes 74 new confirmed cases since yesterday’s report.

Of the city’s cases, 24 have recovered, 36 are in hospital and 17 are in the ICU.


2:09 pm Ontario sets fines for price gouging

Reacting to dramatic price increases being charged by some retailers on cleaning products, Ontario Premier Doug Ford has announced new penalties of $750 for retailers or individuals found charging “unfair prices” for necessary goods.

The list of necessary goods includes masks and glove used as personal protective equipment, non-prescription medications, disinfecting agents and products, and personal hygiene products.

If summoned to court and convicted, offenders could face penalties of up to $100,000 and one year in jail. A company director or officer could face up to $500,000 and a year in jail, and a corporation could face a fine of up to $10 million, under the new rules.

Ford said, “We are putting an end to those trying to profit off of one of the darkest periods in our province’s history.”

The announcement follows several examples posted on Twitter to the premier of grocers and other retailers charging up to $30 for disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer. 

Consumers can report complaints by calling 1-800-889-9768 or filing a report online.  


12:54 pm Ontario’s confirmed COVID-19 cases increases by 151

There are 1,118 active cases of COVID-19 in Ontario, public heath officials reported on Saturday. The number of cases in the province went up by 151, an increase over Friday’s 135 new cases.

The province has not yet released details of the new cases. Information on all new cases is “pending.”

Eight cases have been resolved and there have been 18 deaths, though two of those deaths have yet to be lab confirmed.

There are 8,690 cases under investigation and 33,240 have tested negative.


12:11 pm Federal government imposes new travel restrictions

Effective Monday, Canadians showing signs or symptoms of COVID-19 will not be allowed to board planes or trains. The new measures do not include bus travel, which falls under provincial jurisdiction.

In his daily news briefing this morning, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau acknowledged that enforcing of the new measures will largely depend on Canadians to police themselves, but for now the government will not be placing restrictions on interprovincial travel “until they become necessary.”

The PM was asked about the confusion among some Canadians returning from abroad on the government’s order earlier this week to self-quarantine. He repeated that it’s imperative they stay indoors.

“We must continue to keep a safe distance from each other and make the responsible decisions,” he said. “It’s extremely important.”

The PM said he had a chance to speak with members of his youth council yesterday online and that he fielded a lot of questions on the mental health effects of self-isolation measures that have been implemented in response to COVID-19. “There is massive anxiety and uncertainty out there,” he said.

He said Canadians will be able to start applying online for the emergency $2,000 benefit announced earlier this week “in the next few days.” The PM also touted his government’s loan guarantees for Canadians which will allow them to borrow up to $40,000 and not have to pay back $10,000 of that if certain conditions are met.

The PM took a number of other questions from the press.

• On the flooding by OPEC nations of global oil markets and a call for tariffs by Alberta premier Jason Kenney the PM said that those discussions will have to take place later. “Right now we are focused on helping Canadians and stabilizing the global economy the best we can.”

• On the cruise ship anchored off the coast of Panama with some 248 Canadians on board, the PM said that Canadian authorities are making a “Herculean” effort to get them back home but that restrictions on docking in ports and the suspension of airline travel are complicating those efforts.

• On the decline in rates of COVID-19 transmission rates in BC, the PM said it’s a good sign but warned against complacency. “We are not out of the woods yet.”

• On whether anything will be done to help Canadians pay their rents, the PM said the feds continue to work with the provinces on what is an area of provincial responsibility. He noted that the Canada housing benefit that will be coming out in Ontario in April will help in that regard.


11:11 am Ontario government puts in place new regs to monitor supply chains

The Ontario government is passing new regulations to collect and track the flow of inventory in the province’s supply chains.

The Supply Chain Management Act will “make sure we can deploy critical supplies, equipment and services to where they are needed most,” the province announced in a statement this morning.

The new initiative is part of the government’s Ontario Together effort, a website launched by the province to help connect with businesses and Ontario’s manufacturing sector to help address shortages in supplies, in particular, personal protective equipment for health care workers, necessitated by COVID-19.

To help respond to the expected surge in COVID-19 cases, the government has already announced funding for 1,000 acute care and 500 critical care beds and additional assessment centres to diagnose and track the disease.


10:30 am LCBO employee tests positive for COVID-19

An employee working at an LCBO store at Allen and Rimrock in Toronto has tested positive for COVID-19, the company said in a statement.

The employee last worked on March 20 and is now at home. As a result, that location is now being closed and deep cleaned.

“We will work with public health officials to determine any employees with close contact with this team member and will support any additional employees who need to self-isolate,” the LCBO said. “Should we receive additional direction or guidance from Toronto Public Health, we will act immediately and accordingly.”

The LCBO is considered an essential service and is remaining open during the province-wide shutdown, though stores operate on reduced hours and are now closed on Mondays. Management has also increased cleaning and sanitization is promoting physical distancing, the company said.

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