Ontario reports under 1,300 new COVID-19 cases as Ford plans reopening

Feb 8 2021, 3:41 pm

The Government of Ontario confirmed 1,265 new COVID-19 cases on Monday morning, as Premier Doug Ford is set to announce the plan for economic reopening this afternoon.

During a press conference, Ford will release plans for the gradual reopening of the province as cases continue towards a downward trend.

The province is also reporting 1,700 newly resolved cases and 33 additional deaths.

Today’s case count is lower than Sunday’s 1,489, Saturday’s 1,388, Friday’s 1,670 and Thursday’s 1,563.

But they’re an increase from Wednesday’s 1,172, and Tuesday’s 745.

Of the newly announced cases, 421 are in Toronto, 256 are in Peel, and 130 are in York Region.

Health Minister Christie Elliott said nearly 28,300 tests were completed and 386,171 doses of the COVID-19 vaccines have been administered.

There are now 69 confirmed cases of the UK COVID-19 variant in Ontario, and the first South African variant was detected on February 1.

Health officials have called the fast-spreading variant a “significant threat” and noted that it may impact Ontario’s lockdown measures.

There is no evidence to suggest that approved vaccines will be any less effective against the newfound variants.

At the end of January, major Canadian airlines, including WestJet and Air Canada, cancelled service to Mexico and the Caribbean until the end of April.

On February 1, mandatory COVID-19 testing began at Toronto’s Pearson Airport. While international travellers await the results of their test they will need to quarantine at an approved hotel at their own expense.

A second State of Emergency has been in place since January 12 and is set to expire tomorrow. While Stay at Home orders have been in effect since January 14.

To date, Ontario has seen 279,427 COVID-19 cases and  6,538virus-related deaths.

Clarrie FeinsteinClarrie Feinstein

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