No move to ban private gatherings in Toronto to offset risk from restaurants, gyms reopening

Thestar.com
Nov. 6, 2020
David Rider

Toronto is not planning to join Peel’s public health chief in calling for a ban on private social gatherings that mix different households.

On Wednesday, Dr. Lawrence Loh, Peel’s medical officer of health, strongly recommended a halt to get-togethers with people from different households, Mississauga News’s Steve Corwell reports.

“If we are going to reopen high-risk settings like restaurants and gymnasiums, we need to have a counterbalance on some of the other drivers of transmission in our community,” Loh told Mississauga city council.

A provincial order that closed indoor dining and gyms in Peel and York regions and Ottawa expires Saturday. Dealing with high new COVID-19 infections and the need for a reopening plan, Toronto got its order extended to Nov. 14.

Provincial anti-virus rules limit gatherings to 10 people for a private party, such as a house party, and 25 for outdoor events.

Since infections started to surge in September, Dr. Eileen de Villa, Toronto’s public health chief, has strongly recommended people gather indoors only with fellow household members. However, it is not a binding order.

Loh told Mississauga council that he knows a ban on household mixing would impact families in a traditional gathering time that includes Diwali, Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa.

“I know it’s challenging, especially with the holiday season coming up, but the reality is that one of the most significant drivers of transmission in our region is people getting together and socializing at home,” said Loh.

Loh also wants all wedding receptions banned until Feb. 1, 2021 and a 50-person cap on indoor religious services.

His call for tough measures comes as Peel Region sees very high COVID-19 infection numbers, with much of the spread in Brampton.

Mississauga council did not vote on Loh’s recommendation after a legal official said new anti-virus measures are best considered by the regional council that next meets Nov. 12.

Toronto Mayor John Tory was asked Thursday if he has contemplated calling for his city to outlaw social gatherings that mix different households.

“What has been discussed for months is the contribution that gatherings of any kind have had to virus spread -- that it’s not the place but the behaviour that encourages spread,” Tory said.

“That’s why we’ve advised people to only socialize with people in their own households, to ensure that when people gather they do so safely.

“I will tell you that there has been no proposal brought to me … that we should be advocating for limits on social gatherings. But we have repeatedly given very specific advice about that, first and foremost, ‘Do not socialize at this point in time with people you don’t live with.’”

Ontario on Thursday reported Ontario 998 new cases of COVID-19 including 350 in Toronto, 269 in Peel and 71 in York Region.

Ontario’s seven-day average is up to a record 982 cases per day. The seven-day average for deaths is 11 per day, the highest point in the virus’s resurgence that started after Stage 3 lockdown measures ended in late July.

On Wednesday, de Villa said Toronto, in preparation for the restart of indoor dining and gym visits, is resuming tracing of the contacts of everyone infected, not just those in high-risk settings.

Tory has suggested the businesses will reopen with restrictions, possibly new table limits and early closing for bars and restaurants, and no group classes for gyms.

De Villa said that if Toronto infections continue to rise, or she is concerned by other indicators, she will not hestitate to ask for additional time or safeguards or “whatever is necessary in order to keep the people of Toronto as safe as possible.”