The Ontario Provincial government has issued a month-long stay-at-home order to slow the spread of COVID-19. The stay-at-home order will be effective at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday. This new order will shut down most non-essential stores and retailers. The order will resemble the same order that was issued in early January. The order is set to last four weeks in addition to the “emergency brake” shutdown that was enacted last Saturday.
It requires everyone to remain at home unless for trips to grocery stores, medical appointments, and pharmacies. Residential evictions will also be suspended.
What are some of the new restrictions that are in effect for this order?
- Non-essential stores will be open for curbside pickup only.
- Big Box stores like Walmart will be open for in-person retail, however, they are only allowed to sell essential items like groceries, household cleaning supplies, pharmacy items, health and personal care items and pet supplies.
- Malls like Masonville Mall and White Oaks Mall will be restricted to curbside pickup by appointment and at specific locations
- In-person retail is allowed at 25 % capacity at locations like safety supply stores, medical device service/suppliers, vehicle and equipment rental services, optical stores, car and watercraft dealerships, vehicle/equipment repair shops and telecommunication service stores.
- Outdoor garden centres will be allowed to open at 25 % capacity
- Elementary and Secondary schools will still be open. The Middlesex-London Health Unit has also indicated that they have no intention to close them down as they did in Toronto.
This announcement comes after the Middlesex-London Health Unit recorded 126 new cases of COVID-19, while the Province recorded 3,215 new cases of COVID-19. The province’s case count is the highest it has been since mid-January.
Ontario is reporting 3,215 cases of #COVID19 and nearly 49,900 tests completed. Locally, there are 1,095 new cases in Toronto, 596 in Peel, 342 in York Region, 225 in Ottawa and 187 in Durham.
— Christine Elliott (@celliottability) April 7, 2021
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said in a statement that the COVID-19 situation in Ontario is at a critical stage.
“We must act quickly and decisively to stay ahead of these deadly new variants,” said Premier Ford. “By imposing these strict new measures we will keep people safe while allowing our vaccination program to reach more people, starting with our high-risk population and identified hot spots. Although this is difficult, I urge everyone to follow these public health measures and together we will defeat this deadly virus.”
Opposition NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said in a statement that the new stay at home orders will not protect those who can’t stay at home.
“Experts made it clear every step of the way: he was re-opening too quickly, taking away public health protections too soon, and implementing half-measures that would not stop the spread. This brutal lockdown is of his making,” Horwath says. “Stay at home orders do not protect people who cannot work from home. We need to vaccinate all high-risk essential workers now, and we need paid sick days, on-site testing, in-workplace vaccine clinics and more. But Doug Ford doesn’t want to spend the money.”
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