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He said the province’s plan aims to protect kids health, but also pushes to get them back in school where they should be. He touted investments in personal protective equipment, public health nurses and other changes designed to keep schools safe.
“A whole army of people have gone above and beyond to make classrooms safe for the return of school.”
Ford said the growth in new cases in Ontario was coming from three cities, Ottawa, Toronto and Brampton and he encouraged people in those places to be more cautious.
“We have gone through everything together as a team and you can’t let your guard down now.”
He said he has heard far too many reports about large parties or gatherings happening and he encouraged people to call police if they see their neighbours hosting large events.
“We have to go in and put the hammer down on people that don’t want to follow protocols and guidelines because it’s gonna affect every single one of us.”
Ontario’s health minister Christine Elliott also announced a four-week pause on any further steps to reopen the province’s economy, citing the increasing numbers.
“We do need to ensure that the progress we made is not lost. Taking a pause and further reopening it big time will help us to avoid returning to broad scale closures and shutdowns,” she said.
All of Ontario has moved into the third stage of the province’s reopening plan, but there are still rules in place on the number of people who can gather in one place and other restrictions meant to limit potential spread.
Elliott said it was essential to be cautious so schools could continue to welcome students and broader lockdowns would not be required.
“We want to keep the community transmission very low, so that it won’t get into our schools, so our children will be safe,” she said. “That is our absolute top priority right now and what we need to focus on because that’s the issue that’s worrying most parents and families.”
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