COVID-19 Update for April 27, 2020 – 2:30pm
Today Premier Doug Ford announced Ontario’s Framework for Reopening the Economy. Ford cautioned that this framework is about “how the economy will re-open, not when it will open,” saying no hard dates are being set right now because “the virus travels at its speed.”
According to the Framework for Reopening our Province, the province’s response to COVID-19 is split into three distinct phases: 1) Protect and Support; 2) Restart; 3) Recover. While Ontario is still in the Protect and Support phase, it is moving towards the Restart phase.
Within the Restart phase, the framework cites three distinct stages, as outlined in this diagram:
In determining when to move forward in each phase/stage, decisions will be based on guidance from public health officials, with a number of factors being considered, including:
- Virus spread and containment – A consistent two-to-four week decrease in the number of new daily COVID-19 cases.
- Health system capacity – A Sufficient acute and critical care capacity, including access to ventilators and ongoing availability of personal protective equipment.
- Public health system capacity – Approximately 90 per cent of new COVID-19 contacts being reached by local public health officials within one day, with guidance and direction to contain community spread.
- Incident tracking capacity – Ongoing testing of suspected COVID-19 cases, especially of vulnerable populations, to detect new outbreaks quickly.
You can read the government’s complete news release here.
School Closures Extended
Yesterday, Education Minister Stephen Lecce announced that all publicly-funded schools will remain closed until at least May 31, 2020 but promised that students will still be able to complete the school year. You can read the full announcement here.
The government has also extended the closure of Ontario’s provincial parks and conservation reserves to the end of May. Full announcement here.
If you have any questions about this update, please let us know.
We hope you are finding these COVID-19 updates useful. In addition to trying to keep on top of the fast-changing situation, Enterprise is also working to support local charities during these challenging times. If you are able, your contributions to this effort would be deeply appreciated.
To donate, please click on the organization below:
- Toronto – Food Banks Canada
- Thunder Bay – Food Banks North West
- Hamilton/Niagara – Hamilton Food Share
- Alberta – Hope Mission
Many thanks.
Stay safe. Stay healthy.
The Enterprise Team