Previously, on Friday, Premier Doug Ford announced a host of new measures to contain the surging infections. They included an increase in powers of police to stop and question people outside their homes, which prompted criticism from many experts who said the measures were misguided. This, along with an outpouring of anger on social media from the general public, prompted police in many cities to declare they would not stop people randomly. Moreover, some restrictions on outdoor activities were also relaxed to a certain extent over the weekend.
On Sunday, Ontario recorded another day of more than 4,000 new COVID-19 infections, and the Advisory Table projects that the third wave could lead to more than 10,000 new daily infections by the end of June, with up to 2,000 patients requiring intensive care by mid-May.
Meanwhile, the federal government has offered to cover the travel cost of doctors and nurses from other provinces who are willing to assist Ontario to get the surge in infections under control. Moreover, aircrafts belonging to Canadian Armed Forces have been made available to transport provincial staff and supplies to the densely populated state.
“We are mobilizing federal health care workers from across government departments to deploy to the front lines in Ontario – and specifically the GTA – where the situation is most critical,” PM Trudeau said. “There are provinces that have managed their health care capacity for their own local situation and have the ability to lend a hand to others.”
He added that Ottawa will be in touch with other provincial ministers to discuss ways in which they can extend further support to Ontario.
