Toronto may see broader, stricter lockdown measures over holidays, mayor says

CTVnews.ca
Dec. 16

Toronto Mayor John Tory says a stricter lockdown including more of the surrounding areas of the GTA is being discussed for the holidays as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations hit record levels.

Tory said he is in talks with the Ford government and surrounding area mayors about increasing restrictions in lockstep after Dec. 21, when the 28 day lockdown was scheduled to end.

“Going back to the good old days, as much as we’d want to is just not in the cards, in fact we should be doing more, not less,” Tory told CP24 on Wednesday.

He said that increasing restrictions may be more palatable over the second half of December, as schools are closed and business activity is reduced.

“It is going to be Christmas, schools will be closed. A lot of businesses are not opening at full strength, there are holidays involved,” he said.

Ontario reported more than 2,000 cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday for the first time since the pandemic began.

Hospitalizations hit 921, itself a record, with 267 people admitted to intensive care. The surge in hospitalizations prompted Ontario Health to alert hospitals to activate surge plans to free up beds for more COVID-19 patients.

Test positivity hit its highest point in three weeks at more than five per cent.

Tory said what exactly will be introduced is still up for discussion, but he wants it to include areas that border the city.

“I think people should look back to what we had back in the spring,” he said when asked what new restrictions would look like.

It will be up to the province to introduce any new measures.

Tory said he hopes they announce them sooner rather than later.

“Everyone deserves some notice which means the decision has to be made before next Sunday,” he said.