Key Takeaways:
- Ford made the comments during a radio interview on a local Peterborough, Ont., the station on Friday, a day after the province’s best doctor made a similar statement.
- Restaurants, gyms, and theatres will have their restrictions lifted on Monday, allowing them to reopen with capacity restrictions.
- The province’s chief medical officer of health stressed the importance of striking a balance between living with the virus and cautiously reopening on Thursday.
Premier Doug Ford of Ontario says the province must “learn to live with.” COVID-19.
Ford made the remarks in a discussion that aired on a local Peterborough, Ont., radio station on Friday, the day after the province’s top doctor said something similar.
When asked if Ontario’s reopening plan would be successful, Ford said he believes it would because virus test positivity has decreased since public health restrictions were implemented earlier this month.
On Monday, restrictions on restaurants, gyms, as well as theatres will be lifted, allowing them to open with capacity restrictions.
Also read: The ‘freedom convoy’ is not supported by all truckers
Ford claims that the restrictions earlier this month to stem a wave of Omicron infections are working.
He explained that his govt’s plan entails reopening slowly at first, with capacity limits of 50%, and that the province must learn to live with the virus to return to normal.
Ford told PTBO Today Radio, “No one in this province wants to open up faster than I do.” “All I like to do now is get the return to usual.” We just have to learn to live with it and get things back to normal, and we’ll do it.”
On Thursday, the province’s chief medical officer of health mentioned the importance of balancing living with the virus and cautiously reopening.
During a weekly press conference on the pandemic, Dr. Kieran Moore stated, “In the face of Omicron, I believe… we have to understand to live with this virus.”
“We’ve let fear control our lives for the past two years, and now we’ll have to change some of that thinking.”
Moore mentioned that the highly transmissible Omicron variant had changed the scenario and the availability of vaccines and infection treatments since the pandemic began 2 years ago.
Ford expressed his delight on Friday that the province is allowing businesses to reopen despite capacity constraints. He stated that he understands the financial difficulties that small business owners have faced as a result of the pandemic and that Ontarians should rally behind them when they reopen.
“On Monday, I encourage all of us to get out there.” Go out to dinner and order takeout. He said, “Support small businesses.”
Some surgeries that were put on hold during the Omicron wave to keep the healthcare system running will continue on Monday. Social gathering restrictions will also be tightened.
On Friday, Ontario reported 607 COVID-19 patients in intensive care and 3,535 hospitalized patients in total.
The number of individuals hospitalized with the illness decreased from 3,645 the day before but up from 599 ICU patients.
Due to the illness, 387 patients have been placed on ventilators, and the province has reported 67 further virus-related fatalities in the last month.
There have been 5,337 new COVID-19 cases reported, but the true number is likely higher due to a testing policy that limits the number of people who can be tested.
Since the last daily update, fifteen more deaths among long-term care residents have been reported, with COVID-19 outbreaks affecting 56% of long-term care homes as of Friday.
Source: Global News
