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Ontario Implementing Enhanced Measures to Safeguard Public from COVID-19

Although Risk in Ontario Remains Low, New Structure will Ensure Health System Readiness

News.ontario.ca
March 3, 2020

As the scope of the COVID-19 outbreak continues to increase internationally, Ontario is taking action to ensure the province's readiness to contain and respond to a range of outbreak scenarios.

Today, Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, announced Ontario is implementing an enhanced response structure that formally brings together a wide range of partners to review, strengthen and implement provincial and regional plans and ensure their responsiveness to the specifics of COVID-19.

"Our local public health units, hospitals, emergency health services, nurses and primary care providers, among others, have been critical in managing the early phases of this new coronavirus," said Elliott. "This new structure will tap into an even broader network of clinical expertise, experience and capacity across the health sector to ensure extensive plans are in place to quickly and effectively respond to any and every possible scenario."

The new response structure will comprise a number of tables with specific mandates:

This new response structure will build on the definitive steps that Ontario has already taken to address COVID-19, including:

"Although the risk to Ontarians remains low, it is important that we take decisive steps to prepare for any scenario as this is a quickly evolving situation globally," said Elliott. "As we enter this next phase of preparedness, every Ontarian should have full confidence that these efforts by our dedicated public health professionals and health care leaders will continue to keep them safe."

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