Doug Ford says reopening must proceed ‘cautiously’ and with top doctor’s consent

thestar.com
July 7, 2021
Robert Benzie

Premier Doug Ford says it’s doctor’s orders.

Despite the plunging number of new cases of COVID-19 and soaring vaccination rates, Ford insists further reopening of the economy must be done “cautiously” and with the consent of public health officials.

Speaking to reporters Monday during a campaign-style swing through North Bay, Ford stressed it’s up to Dr. Kieran Moore, the chief medical officer of health, to determine when additional businesses can open.

“We’re going to work continuously with Dr. Moore and the health team on a daily basis. We’re just going to follow their guidelines,” the premier said.

His comments came as Ontario reported 170 new cases of COVID-19, the lowest since last September. Daily case counts peaked at 4,812 on April 16 at the height of the third wave.

“They’re the experts and we’re just going to work day in and day out ... to get every single business open in this province, get them back on their feet, but we’re going to do it cautiously, too,” said Ford.

Ontario has been in the second step of reopening since last Wednesday, allowing personal services like hair cuts and nail salons to open for the first time in months.

But the next step, which would permit indoor dining in restaurants and gyms to open, among other things, could have to wait until July 20 or 21.

“We’ll be rolling that out shortly, over the next three weeks. We want to get (to) step three. I know everyone is quite happy in step two,” the premier said.

“You know, I was hearing the story from my five girls and they were so pumped up about getting their hair done, you know, their nails done, manicure, pedicure, the whole shebang, my goodness,” he said, referring to his wife and four adult daughters.

“I’m so happy for the owners of the salons, and barbers, personal care. They really had a tough time.”

Dan Kelly, president of the 95,000-member Canadian Federation of Independent Business, implored the Progressive Conservative government to get a move on to step three.

“Another grim milestone: Toronto restaurants closed to indoor dining for 400+ days,” Kelly said on Twitter.

“For many, they’ve lost 70 per cent plus of their revenue as takeout, delivery and patios (where they exist) fail to make up the difference. The world’s longest restaurant lockdown continues until July 21,” he tweeted.

Kelly noted Ontario should “hit 50 per cent” fully vaccinated by Wednesday.

That is “double the province’s threshold to move to reopening step three.”

“But (the government) shows no signs of accelerating the end of the world’s longest lockdown.”

As of Monday afternoon, 78.3 per cent of Ontario adults had one shot and 46.3 per cent had both jabs. The threshold to move to step three is 70-80 per cent with one shot and 25 per cent fully vaccinated.

Still, Moore, for his part, has emphasized the “need to be cautious” because the Delta variant of COVID-19 is more contagious than other forms of the virus.

“It is a difficult adversary. It is aggressive. It wants to spread rapidly. It’s virulent and it can have an increased risk of admission to hospital,” the chief medical officer of health said last week.

“We need that 21 days to be able to understand the impact of opening on our communities. I do think a 21-day interval is prudent and I personally don’t want to see that shortened because we need to be data-driven in the face of this new enemy,” he said.

Yes, Ontario already passed its requirements to enter step three. Many businesses need a full reopening to survive.

No, the Delta variant is spreading rapidly and it's better to be safe than sorry. Also, many experts recommend a gradual approach.

I'm not sure, I need more information first.

Also Monday, Ford reiterated his promise that the $3 per hour pandemic raises for personal support workers in long-term-care homes be made permanent.

“We gave them a $3-an-hour bump in pay. We’re going to make sure we make that 100 per cent. I know it was temporary, but they’re going to have a $3 increase in pay,” he pledged, touting the Tories’ four-year $4.9 billion plan to build and upgrade nursing-home spaces and hire 27,000 nurses, PSWs, and support staff.

“PSWs are overworked, underpaid, and they deserve every single penny times 10, so we’re going to keep that in place, the $3-an-hour pay for them.”

In Ottawa, NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said Ford needs to move more quickly.

“Doug Ford didn’t invest in protecting seniors during the pandemic, and nearly 4,000 precious loved ones died, in the midst of a humanitarian disaster where people were dying of neglect,” said Horwath.

“But the problems didn’t start or end with COVID. Right now in Ontario, staff are run off their feet,” she said.

“Imagine instead having enough staff in nursing homes to give our loved ones meals that aren’t rushed, and dignified help with hygiene.”