By Canadian Press

Lockdown to begin for all of Ontario on Boxing Day as province sees soaring cases

Dec 21, 2020 | 1:50 PM

TORONTO — Ontario will go into lockdown on Boxing Day in an effort to bring soaring COVID-19 cases under control, a move the province announced Monday after health advisors said thousands of infections could be avoided if tough restrictions were imposed earlier.

The lockdown will shutter all non-essential businesses, ban indoor gatherings, close restaurant dining rooms, and see all schools move classes online for the first week of the new year. It also means Ontarians are advised to stay home as much as possible.

The restrictions will remain in place for southern Ontario until Jan. 23, but will lift for northern Ontario – where there are fewer cases – on Jan. 9.

Premier Doug Ford said the virus is spreading rapidly from areas with a high number of cases to those with fewer cases, and the province needs to preserve capacity in its health-care system.

“This difficult action is without a doubt necessary to save lives and prevent our hospitals from being overwhelmed in the coming weeks,” he said.

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“Make no mistake, thousands of lives are at stake right now.”

Hours earlier, the province’s health advisors said the sooner a “hard lockdown” was implemented, the more new cases could be prevented.

“If we started on December 21, instead of December 28, it plays out significant reductions in cases under almost any scenario,” said Dr. Adalsteinn Brown, co-chair of the province’s COVID-19 science advisory table.

Brown added that anything less than a four-week lockdown will not work, based on the experience of other jurisdictions.

Ford defended the decision to wait until Dec. 26 to impose the restrictions, noting that hot spots are already in lockdown.

“We want to give the same opportunities to businesses that haven’t experienced lockdown before … (and) give them the opportunity to get ready to hunker down,” he said.

Toronto, Peel Region, York Region, Windsor-Essex, and Hamilton are already in lockdown.

Dr. Naveed Mohammad, CEO of the William Osler Health System that operates hospitals in Peel Region, said people needed to act as if the lockdown started immediately.

“Until the people of this province realize what each trip out their home risks for themselves and their loved ones, we won’t get through this,” he said, noting that hospitals in Brampton, Ont., are grappling with capacity issues.

“Please stay home, starting today.”

The Ontario Hospital Association, which had called for strict new restrictions, said it was disappointed the lockdown wouldn’t take effect sooner.

“The Dec. 26 implementation date sends a confusing message about what (residents) should and shouldn’t do at this crucial moment,” said CEO Anthony Dale.

Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath also slammed Ford for delaying the start of the lockdown, accusing him of caving to pressure from big-box stores. She urged support for small businesses, workers who needed income support and those who may be facing eviction.

“This lockdown means more people are facing the collapse of their business, the loss of their job, or financial hardship,” she said.

Some, however, pushed back against the province’s move.

Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson said his city had been “blindsided” by news of the lockdown, noting that it had successfully brought its cases down.

“There are simply no facts to support a lockdown in the city of Ottawa,” Watson said.

The lockdown means schools across the province will move to online learning from Jan. 4 to Jan. 8, after which students will return to in-person learning depending on their location and grade level.

All students in northern Ontario and elementary students in southern Ontario will return to in-person learning on Jan. 11. High school students in southern Ontario will continue online learning until Jan. 25.

Child-care centres across the province will remain open.

The lockdown also means essential businesses that remain open will have strict capacity limits in place. Businesses like restaurants will close to indoor dining, but will be permitted to offer take-out and delivery. Indoor sports facilities, personal care services like salons, and casinos are all shut.

The province also announced it will create a grant program offering some small businesses a minimum of $10,000 to help offset losses.

The latest virus projections in Ontario indicate the province’s ability to control the spread of COVID-19 is “precarious.”

Data from the province’s health advisors concluded that tough lockdowns lasting a month or more could cut the number of daily cases to less than 1,000.

If Ontario’s COVID-19 case rate continues to grow between one to three per cent, the province will have 3,000 to 5,000 daily cases by the end of January, it indicates.

It also shows that under all scenarios the province will see 300 intensive care unit beds filled within 10 days – double the 150-bed threshold where surgeries must be cancelled.

Ontario reported 2,123 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday and 17 more deaths related to the virus.

Meanwhile, new measures meant to prevent a possible surge of COVID-19 over the holiday period took effect across Nova Scotia on Monday.

The restrictions, first announced last week, were implemented as the number of reported active COVID-19 infections in the province dropped to 38.

Indoor gatherings are capped at 10 people and retail stores are required to limit the number of shoppers to 25 per cent of legal capacity.

In Quebec, the government expanded its COVID-19 vaccine distribution network Monday with the opening of new clinics.

Further west, Manitoba reported 167 new cases of COVID-19 and four new deaths, while Saskatchewan reported 206 new cases, as well as four more deaths. Nunavut reported three new cases of COVID-19.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 21, 2020.

Shawn Jeffords, The Canadian Press