‘The time to act is now’: Mayor John Tory calls for complete lockdown over COVID-19, expresses frustration with Doug Ford’s delay

Thestar.com
Jan. 12, 2021
David Rider

Toronto Mayor John Tory said Monday he supports the idea of a complete lockdown, like the one imposed by the province in the spring, in order to prevent the health-care system from becoming overwhelmed.

Speaking at a COVID-19 update from city hall, Tory said he’s concerned about the growing number of people in hospital and the “frightening impact” that could have on the health system’s ability to handle COVID patients, while at the same time treating those with other pressing health problems.

“I believe, based on what I’ve been told, that the health-care system’s ability to do both -- and it’s important it should be able to do both -- is in serious jeopardy,” said Tory.

He said he spoke with Premier Doug Ford on the weekend to let him know he supports additional lockdown measures, similar to the ones that were in place in the spring, which were ultimately successful in helping to curtail the spread of the virus.

Tory questioned why banks and big-box stores are still being allowed to operate.

“I never frankly understood entirely why they were open when other businesses were forced to be closed,” he said of the big-box stores.

Banks voluntarily closed branches in the spring, Tory pointed out.

Tory said that the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area mayors and chairs met virtually on Monday and voiced their support for additional measures and quick action by the province.

“The time to act is now,” said Tory, noting that a recent spike in cases may be linked to the lag in December between Ford announcing that there would be a lockdown, and the lockdown actually taking effect on Dec. 26.

According to mobile phone data shared exclusively with the Star, during those few days people scrambled to get last-minute shopping done before the lockdown started, crowding malls in jurisdictions where they were still open.

Tory said it’s also important that individuals act responsibly and stay home as much as possible. He said he believes people aren’t as frightened as they were in the spring when little was known about the virus, and aren’t taking as much care now as they did then.

He said he would like to see more tickets written, in particular for people who attend parties, violating rules around crowds gathering.

Although Montreal has instituted a curfew and the issue has been discussed locally, both Tory and Dr. Eileen de Villa, the city’s medical officer of health, showed little support for it.

De Villa said research into whether curfews have a significant impact on the number of transmissions is inconclusive, and Tory said it would be difficult to enforce, given the city’s limited resources, which are already stretched thin.

In an interview with CP24 earlier in the day, Tory repeatedly expressed frustration that Ford is waiting until Tuesday to reveal new computer-generated predictions that the premier on Friday called “scary” and said would make Ontarians “fall off your chair.”

“I think it’s time to get on with this, and to do it,” with a tight lockdown like the one Ford imposed last spring in the virus’s first wave, Tory said.

“I think today would be a better day than tomorrow just because every day puts more strain on the health-care system and frankly it gets more people sick.”

The current lockdown, with a fairly broad list of businesses deemed essential, is “in a way…the worst of both worlds,” said Tory, who previously defended Ford’s plans and emphasized the need for officials to remain on the same page to avoid confusing the public.

“We’ve had a sort of lockdown that we call a lockdown, but there’s really a lot of things still open and a lot of people still moving around,” Tory said.

“The more you give people less opportunity, the better off you’re going to be,” in terms of limiting the virus spread while officials hurry to ramp up the COVID-19 vaccination rollout, Tory said.

Other lockdown measures imposed in other places include domestic border closures, enforced mandatory quarantine for international travellers and a ban on residential evictions.

Also at the press conference, Tory once again called on the provincial and federal governments to make sick pay available to workers who don’t already have them, so that they’re not afraid to get tested and book off sick if needed, to avoid infecting co-workers.

Last Thursday, Toronto suffered its 2000th COVID-19 death, with experts warning the next few months could be the deadliest yet for the pandemic.