"It is clear that what is kept open and what is closed is not based on an assessment of risk of transmission, or how truly essential an activity is," Professor Baxter said. In Ontario, places of worship and some businesses remain open, but outdoor activities are restricted. In Victoria's circuit-breaker lockdown in February, most activities were restricted, including weddings, sport, shopping and school. Nancy Baxter, from the University of Melbourne School of Global Health and Population Research, said the Ontario lockdowns started too late and ended too early. In Victoria, they had four: getting essentials, giving or receiving care, exercise, and work if it could not be done remotely. In Toronto, residents had 23 reasons to leave home.
#Toronto lockdown free
( Reuters: Chris Helgren, File photo)īut in earlier lockdowns, shopping malls remained open, people were free to move around and there was little - if any enforcement - of the restrictions by police. People have also been told not to travel outside the region or province unless absolutely necessary, and travel from Manitoba and Quebec into Ontario is also restricted. The province is currently in a six-week lockdown, which is the strictest to date.Īll public and private schools are teaching remotely, non-essential shops can only open for pick-up and deliveries, and people can only leave their homes for necessities. The Progressive Conservative government of Ontario, led by Doug Ford, has in handling the crisis tried to balance the competing demands of business with the medical advice. So how did the province and the capital, Toronto, get here?Īnd what lessons can they learn from what happened in Melbourne's lockdown in 2020 and the five-day circuit-breaker lockdown in February this year? Go early, go hard, close all non-essential businesses More than 7,800 people have died with COVID since the pandemic began, public health data says. Ontario has recorded more COVID cases than any other province, with more than 430,000 infections since the pandemic began, and its seven-day average sits above 4,000. New variants are taking their toll on a population weary of never-ending lockdowns.Īnd a new lockdown, the most strict to date, is now in effect for six weeks. Canada's most populous province, Ontario, is deep in the middle of a rapidly escalating COVID-19 crisis.ĭoctors are pleading with the provincial and federal governments for help as intensive care units fill up with more younger patients in their 40s.
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