Top COVID-19 stories and news
- Toronto shifts public health advice: Go outside but keep your distance
- Four ways to save local businesses during (and after) the pandemic
- When and how each province is reopening across Canada
- Should public consultation on the environment be an essential service?
- More cideries can now sell their own products in Ontario
Follow the latest Toronto news on coronavirus
4:26 pm Fifth Ontario personal support worker dies of COVID-19
Leonard Rodriquez, a 61-year-old personal support worker who worked at the Toronto supportive housing unit Access Apartments, has died from COVID-19, his union Unifor said in a news release on Thursday.
Rodriquez, who spent more than 30 years as a care worker, was sent home on April 6 due to a possible COVID-19 exposure and was self-isolating when his symptoms worsened. He later tested positive for COVID-19, the union said, adding that his death was due to “preventable workplace exposure.”
“From the onslaught of the pandemic we have been demanding personal protective equipment from employers and governments. This tragedy could have been avoided if he only had access to proper personal protective equipment. Our COVID Heroes deserve better,” Unifor’s national president Jerry Dias said in a statement.
During today’s news conference, Toronto’s medical officer of health Eileen de Villa said Toronto Public Health has since investigated preventative protocols for COVID-19 spread at Access Apartments. She said officials found that existing protocols “exceed current standards.”
4:20 pm Toronto Public Health to release guidelines for retail reopening on Monday
The province is allowing retail locations with street entrances to reopen for curbside pickup on Monday. Toronto’s medical officer of health Eileen de Villa said today the city is releasing guidelines online for retailers that recommend stores promote physical distancing as much as possible.
She added that customers should continue washing their hands frequently, avoid touching their faces as much as possible and keep two metres distance from others. When physical distancing is not possible, Toronto Public Health strongly recommends people wear cloth masks or face coverings.
4:13 pm Toronto reports 180 new COVID-19 cases, 10 more deaths
Toronto Public Health reported today an increase of 180 new COVID-19 cases in Toronto, bringing the city’s total to 7,114. Of those cases, 4,417 who have recovered and 532 people have died. There have been 10 more deaths since yesterday’s report.
3:55 pm The Raptors are returning to practice
The NBA is still throwing around potential ways to finish its season, but while the Toronto Raptors wait to find out if they can defend their championship they’ve been cleared to return to practice.
Beginning May 11, the city’s OVO Athletic Centre will reopen to the pro basketball team, albeit with a strict list of COVID-19 protocols. NBA guidelines allow for four players at a time in practice facilities, but only one player and coach will be allowed at a time for the Raptors. Only the court will be open – locker rooms, weight rooms, medical facilities, offices and other areas of the building will stay closed. Staff members will wear gloves and masks at all times in the building, while players will wear masks until they’re on the court. Team medical staff will perform symptom and temperature checks on anyone entering the building.
“Our top priority remains the health and safety of all Ontarians. As we prepare for a safe and gradual reopening of the economy, we have been working closely with public health experts and our professional sport teams to prepare for a return to play when it is safe to do so,” wrote Ontario’s minister of heritage, sport, tourism and culture, Lisa MacLeod, wrote in a statement.
“While it is imperative to do everything we can to stop the spread of COVID-19, we need to carefully and cautiously begin to reopen the economy. This is a critical sector for Ontario as sport represents more than $12.6 billion to Ontario’s economy and thousands of jobs across the province.”
11:31 am Trudeau extends wage subsidy beyond June
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Ottawa is extending the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy beyond June. The news comes as Statistics Canada reported record job losses for the month of April due to the coronavirus pandemic. Trudeau said more details of the extension will be announced next week.
10:56 am Ontario reports 477 new COVID-19 cases, 63 deaths
Ontario continues to see increases in new COVID-19 cases. On Friday, public health officials reported an increase of 2.5 per cent – or 477 cases – since the previous day’s report, bringing the total to 19,598.
That’s the highest increase in new cases since May 2. The jump comes as Ontario prepares to ease lockdown measures this weekend by allowing garden centres and hardware stores to reopen.
Another 63 people have died. In total, 1,540 people have died in Ontario since the outbreak began.
Testing capacity has increased to 16,295 tests completed per day and there are another 14,641 cases under investigation.
There are 1,028 people in hospital, with 233 in intensive care and 166 in intensive care on ventilators.
The Greater Toronto Area accounts for 61.3 per cent of Ontario’s cases.
More than 71 per cent of the province’s cases – or 13,990 – are now resolved.
10 am Employee at Brampton poultry plant dies of COVID-19
An employee at Maple Lodge Farms in Brampton has died from COVID-19.
The union representing the plant’s workers, United Food & Commercial Workers Locals 175 & 633, confirmed the death on Thursday, and added that there are 24 others have tested positive.
“On behalf of the members and staff at the union, I offer my sincere condolences to the family of the member who passed away,” said UFCW Local 175 president Shawn Haggerty in a statement. “Our thoughts are with the family at this difficult time, as well as with the other members at the plant who are also dealing with their own COVID-19 diagnoses.”
Haggerty added that the plant is now using personal protective equipment, staggering breaks and shifts to maintain physical distancing, enhancing cleaning protocols and creating provisions for employees to travel to and from work in a secure fashion.
Maple Lodge Farms said the company is working with public health authorities to undertake measures to prevent spread.
“In accordance with our Emergency Response Plan, and our duty to report under Ontario’s public health law, Public Health was contacted immediately after each COVID-19 case was identified,” the company said in a statement. “In each case an in-depth investigation and risk assessment has taken place in cooperation with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Based on the findings of each investigation, Public Health provided direction to Maple Lodge Farms as to what actions must be taken, which we have adhered to, in addition to implementing extra precautionary measures.”
9:20 am Canada lost nearly 2 million jobs in April: StatsCan
Employment in Canada fell by nearly two million in April thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, bringing the country’s the total employment decline to over three million since March.
Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey data showed lockdown measures, including the closure of non-essential businesses, has had disastrous impact on the economy.
The survey found the number of people who were employed but worked less than half of their usual hours due to COVID-19 went up by by 2.5 million from February to April.
As of the week of April 12, the COVID-19 economic shutdown had impacted 5.5 million people, or more than one-quarter of February’s employment level.
The unemployment rate went up in April by 5.2 per cent to 13 per cent. That’s the second highest unemployment rate on record after December 1982 when unemployment hit 13.1 per cent.
Read more here.
9 am Canada has over 64,000 cases of COVID-19
There are 64,922 cases of COVID-19 in Canada and 4,408 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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