Ontario to release framework next week on reopening the economy

Apr 24 2020, 6:21 pm

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said the province will release the framework for reopening the economy next week, to help businesses that have been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Friday, Ford acknowledged that northern and southern Ontario are facing “different realities” with the pandemic as coronavirus cases are much higher in urban areas versus rural regions.

However, the premier said that “we’re all connected and we cannot risk someone from Toronto travelling up north.”

Minister of Finance Rod Phillips said that the framework being released next week will speak to the questions of how to address suburban and urban areas, as both are experiencing community transmission in different ways.

“We have to analyze the movement of people and invent different restrictions based on different areas,” Phillips said.

He noted that the framework will only be based on the best scientific advice, as well as considering the best economic perspectives.

There will also be comprehensive guidelines for workplaces on safety practices, as well as for customers, depending on the setting.

On Monday, Ford first stated on the economy reopening saying the province will begin talks to “gradually” and “safely” reopen the economy, based on new data projections that indicate coronavirus cases are currently in the peak stage.

He added the Jobs and Recovery Committee will start discussing, in a measured way, the reopening of the province in slow stages based on the projections released by health officials on Monday, which showed the general population was in the peak of cases.

Ontario will now see 20,000 or less total cases by the end of April, compared to the 80,000 originally projected — the province is now trending toward a best case scenario rather than a worst case scenario.

Clarrie FeinsteinClarrie Feinstein

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