“The Covid-19 situation is at a critical stage and we must act quickly and decisively to stay ahead of these deadly new variants,” said Premier Ford. “By imposing these strict new measures we will keep people safe while allowing our vaccination program to reach more people, starting with our high risk population and identified hot spots. Although this is difficult, I urge everyone to follow these public health measures and together we will defeat this deadly virus.”
Case rates, hospitalizations, and ICU occupancy are increasing rapidly across the province, threatening to overwhelm the health care system as a whole. The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in the province has increased by 28.2 per cent between the period of March 28 and April 5, 2021.
As part of the state of emergency order, non-essential retail stores will only be allowed to offer curbside pickup and delivery. Big-box stores will be allowed to sell essential items only like food, pharmacy items, household cleaning supplies, personal care supplies, and pet care supplies.
Schools and child care will remain open for in-person care and learning in public health regions where it is permitted, with strict safety measures in place.
Ford also announced special education workers across the province and teachers in hotspot areas in Toronto and Peel will be vaccinated starting next week. This will be expanded to other hot-spot locations as supply becomes available.
-more to come-
Read original story from London Ontario – BlackburnNews.com