Ford says Ontario's Stay at Home measures are starting to pay off
Premier Doug Ford said Ontario’s Stay at Home measures are starting to pay off in a video message to the public on Friday.
In the message, the premier said, “I want to thank everyone who has been staying at home these last few weeks. I know it’s tough, but we are starting to see our hard work pay off.”
Then, the premier added 18 more languages to his roster after his first video last week where he said “stay at home” in 21 languages.
Good Morning, Ontario.
I want to thank everyone who has been staying at home these last few weeks. I know it’s tough, but we are starting to see our hard work pay off.
In case some of you need a reminder, I’ve tried my best to be clear: please stay at home. pic.twitter.com/Wvur2UsD6S
— Doug Ford (@fordnation) January 29, 2021
On Thursday, health officials released updated COVID-19 modelling data which showed that cases are declining but the UK variant is posing a “significant threat.”
It will be the dominant strain come March, with officials saying the vaccine will be effective against it.
There are now 43 confirmed cases of the UK COVID-19 variant in Ontario. The fast-spreading virus mutation was first detected in a couple from Durham Region.
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The officials noted that cases and positivity rates are down across public health units but testing volumes are also slightly down.
While Ontario’s case showed a slight uptick on Thursday, the overall trend is going downwards.
In addition, hospitalizations are declining but “strained” ICU capacity continues as COVID-19 has an outsized impact on the health system. The access to care deficit continues to grow and will have short and longer-term negative impacts on health.
Ontario confirmed 1,837 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, which is less than Thursday’s 2,093 but more than Wednesday’s 1,670, which was the lowest case count in over two months.
Tuesday and Monday saw cases below 2,000 with 1,740, and 1,958 respectively.
A second State of Emergency was announced by Ford, who also issued a Stay at Home order, effective January 14. This means everyone must stay home and only go out for essential trips, such as going to the grocery store or pharmacy, accessing healthcare services, exercising, or essential work.
To date, Ontario has seen 264,300 COVID-19 cases and 6,072 virus-related deaths.
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