With Ontario’s stay-at-home order expiring Wednesday, Premier Doug Ford is under increasing pressure to open more businesses sooner after allowing 550 fully vaccinated health care workers into Monday’s Leafs-Canadiens NHL playoff showdown.
But Health Minister Christine Elliott said mid-June remains the target date for easing COVID-19 restrictions and promised more details on what to expect when the stay-at-home edict lifts after six weeks in place.
“We are looking at June 14 as the day in which we can hopefully move into stage one,” she told reporters after the province reversed course on letting fans into the final game of the playoff series at Scotiabank Arena.
Sources said the government could ease some restrictions sooner than June 14 if case numbers and other key indicators decline significantly as vaccination rates steadily increase.
In stage one of the government’s economic recovery plan announced almost two weeks ago, restaurant patios can reopen with a maximum of four people per table and non-essential retailers such as clothing stores could once again let customers in, but at just 15 per cent of capacity.
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business said letting health-care workers into the high-stakes game is a “nice gesture” but questioned the rationale for the change with indoor sports not allowed until stage three of the provincial plan in late July at the earliest.
“If we’re just allowing it because Montreal had fans, I can think of a few other things Ontario should be doing like Quebec, like reopening their restaurants, gyms and salons,” Ryan Mallough, the federation’s Ontario director, said in reference to 2,500 in attendance at Saturday’s Game 6 in Montreal.
“I’m not sure why the billion dollar sports franchise starts its return to normalcy before these same people can get haircuts or go to a restaurant. If being fully vaccinated is the condition, what else are these people allowed to do?”
Other businesses could follow similar guidelines, he added.
The decision announced by Ford on Monday morning — a day after the province gave a firm no to allowing fans — has the province once again sending a “mixed message,” said Liberal House Leader John Fraser.
“I understand exceptions, but once you make exceptions then people wonder why they’re not the exception,” he added.
“They reversed a decision within 24 hours without a clear plan in place for a whole bunch of other really important things.”
For example, the government has yet to announce whether schools will resume in-class learning in June, despite clearance from outgoing chief medical officer Dr. David Williams, who is retiring June 25.
Ford said the government worked “right up to midnight” Sunday on the hockey fans issue with public health officials, and that he’d hoped 2,500 fans would be allowed.
“The docs said 550. We’ll take that.”
Williams said Monday allowing the health-care workers to attend is “reasonable” because they are fully vaccinated and “experts in handling infection prevention and control.”
He noted Ontario’s seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases is improving but remains high at 1,078. Williams has set a target of half that for further reopening in two weeks.
Ford called the hockey tickets a “small token of appreciation” for the “heroic sacrifices” health-care workers have made during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Michael Hurley of the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions said a better tribute would be for the government to repeal its Bill 124, which limits public sector workers to raises of one per cent.
“Most health-care workers would much rather be able to bargain a wage increase at least equal to inflation,” he told the Star.
Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment was covering the cost of the tickets and providing jerseys to each of the health-care workers — hoping, of course, they would cheer for the home team which gave up a 3-1 lead in the series after losing the last two games in overtime.
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The fans will include a mixture of hospital and nursing-home staff and were chosen by lottery at their workplaces.
Sources said the move followed heavy lobbying by Maple Leaf Sports.
Ford noted that the 550 fans being allowed is “well below” capacity at Scotiabank Arena and precautions will include screening, masking, enhanced cleaning and crowd control.
“Public health officials are confident we can put these special fans in the stands safely and with minimal risk,” he said.
Doug Ford urged to let people go to more businesses, not just hockey games - Toronto Star
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