Toronto has surpassed 2,000 deaths linked to COVID-19 after the city reported on Thursday 29 more people dying from the disease.

The grim milestone comes more than six months after the city recorded its 1,000th death.

Mayor John Tory said in a statement that it is a sobering reminder that residents must continue observing public health protocols to protect everyone from the deadly virus.

“We mourn all the innocent lives lost to COVID-19 with their families, friends, colleagues, and neighbours,” Tory said.

“The best way we can honour the memory of those lost and pay tribute to those continuing to work on the frontlines of healthcare to protect us is to keep staying home as much as possible right now, wearing a mask when we go out, and avoiding gathering with people we don’t live with.”

Toronto Public Health reported 941 new cases on Thursday with 37 more people in hospital.

The province posted a lower number of new infections for Toronto with 891 cases due to the different cut-off times for data collection.

“Today, we reached a tragic milestone with 2,017 lives lost to COVID-19 in Toronto. These losses in our community aren’t just numbers, they represent people who were cared for and loved. Each of these deaths represents a unique life, and someone’s family, friend or colleague,” Dr. Eileen de Villa, the city’s medical officer of health, said in a statement.

“Please keep staying home as much as possible, and do everything you can to protect your health, the health of those around you, and save lives at this critical time. On behalf of everyone at Toronto Public Health, we offer our sincerest condolences to everyone who has lost a loved one to COVID-19.”

On Wednesday, de Villa expressed her concerns after early data revealed people attending gatherings with individuals outside their households over the holidays despite pleas from public health officials to avoid such activities.

“The outcome of these decisions will emerge over the next days and weeks. If they manifest as COVID-19 cases, the implications are plain to see,” de Villa said.

On Thursday, Ontario also recorded a single-day high for the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths.

It was a year ago on Thursday that TPH released its first statement about the COVID-19.

On Jan. 7, 2020, the local public health unit said it was actively monitoring “cases of undiagnosed viral pneumonia” in Wuhan, China.

At the time, TPH noted that the overall risk to residents was “very low,” adding that the city had a well-developed plan should the situation change.

More than two weeks later, the first case of COVID-19 in Canada was reported in Toronto.