If COVID-19 case number continue to surge in the city, Mayor John Tory says it is possible the province will press pause on the planned reopening of hair salons and other personal care services in two weeks.
Last Friday, the Ford government announced that barbershops, hair and nail salons, and tattoo shops can reopen on April 12 in all regions in the grey zone of the province’s tiered reopening framework, including Toronto.
But speaking to CP24 on Monday, Tory said that decision could be reversed if cases of the novel coronavirus continue to climb.
“All the trend lines last week were not positive,” Tory said.
On Saturday and Sunday, Ontario reported more than 2,400 new cases of COVID-19 each day, pushing the rolling seven-day average of new infections above 2,000 for the first time in several weeks.
Virus-related hospitalizations have also spiked over the past week, with the province reporting close to 1,000 COVID-19 patients in Ontario hospitals on Saturday. Dr. Michael Warner, the medical director of critical care at Michael Garron Hospital, tweeted Monday that more than 400 COVID-19 patients are now in intensive care across the province.
“You look at it day-by-day,” Tory said of the Ford government’s reopening plans.
The mayor added that he will not support anything less than “an extremely cautious reopening.”
“I think the province was smart to announce a date out in to the future where we could have a look at doing this,” Tory said.
“I know they are looking at this situation day-by-day as well. So I would just say when I'm asked that question, ‘Will they for sure open?' I would say that I wouldn't be certain of anything at this stage. I think it is a very fluid situation just because of the health numbers.”
Despite the rise in cases in recent weeks, the province has moved to ease public health restrictions in regions across the province, including COVID-19 hot spots like Toronto, Peel Region, and York Region.
In regions in the orange and red zones of the province’s reopening framework, the province increased indoor dining capacity at restaurants and bars and opened patios in regions in the grey, or “lockdown,” category.
Outdoor fitness classes have also been allowed to resume in regions in the lockdown zone starting today.
Tory has defended the reopening of patios and outdoor fitness classes, saying Sunday that outdoor activities are far safer than indoor ones.
In a statement released by the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario on Saturday, the group urged the premier to “scale back” plans to open more businesses, including personal care services on April 12.
“We need to act now to prevent this third wave from being more catastrophic than the second wave. We know with certainty that the virus variants spread much faster. We also fear it makes people far sicker and can result in much higher rates of death,” the statement read.
“... the government is issuing contradictory messages by relaxing public health measures designed to protect people’s health.”
