Ontario Government Extends Shutdown For Another Two Weeks

The shutdown has been extended for another two weeks until June 2 announced by Ontario Premier Doug Ford in a public address at Queen’s Park announced on Thursday.

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The shutdown is to help combat the overflowing ICU numbers that remain in hospitals and to have “the most normal July and August possible.”

The stay-at-home-order started back on Apr. 3 has been extended by a full month since the original declaration. The shutdown was set to expire on May 20.

Ford was accompanied by Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, Solicitor General Sylvia Jones and Dr. David Williams, Chief Medical Officer of Health.

During the shutdown, daily cases have gone down from 4,000 to 2,750 but the goal is less than 1000 for several days before considering looser restrictions according to Williams.

“Everybody thinks that’s great from where we came from, and that’s true but we still have a ways to get back down because we didn’t get all the way out of the second before we went into the third wave,” explained Williams. “We do not want to repeat that again.”

Starting May 31, youth aged 12 to 17 and their family members who have not received a vaccine will be able to book an appointment for the Pfizer vaccine.

Publicly funded and private elementary and secondary schools will continue remote learning.

Sports and outdoor recreational activities will remain closed. Ford agrees that golfing is not the issue but it is the post-golfing gatherings that are a concern.

“There’s nothing wrong with golfing, the problem is the mobility,” he said. “Then after golf, they go back, they have a few pops. That’s the problem.”

As of Thursday, 6.6 million residents have had vaccinated with at least the first dose with over 407,000 receiving their second dose.

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