Doug Ford: Ontario's 2nd COVID-19 Wave Is Here And It Could Be A 'Tsunami'
TORONTO — Ontario’s second wave of COVID-19 has begun and it’s going to be worse than the first, Premier Doug Ford said Monday.
“Today’s numbers, they’re deeply concerning,” Ford said at a press conference at Queen’s Park. “And our health officials are telling us that Ontario is now in the second wave of COVID-19.
“We know that this wave will be much more complicated, more complex, it will be worse than the first wave we faced earlier this year.”
Ontario reported 700 new cases of the disease Monday, out of 41,111 tests.
The number set a new record for the highest daily increase yet. The next highest increase was on April 24 when 640 new COVID-19 cases were reported.
Earlier:
Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. David Williams, said later that Monday’s high number of cases was partially due to a testing backlog that was cleared over the weekend. But the increasing numbers are still concerning, he said.
“What we do not know, yet, is how bad the second wave will be,” the premier said. “The reality is, it is up to each of us. Together, our collective actions will decide if we face a wave or a tsunami.”
Ford said Ontarians should follow public health guidance, get a flu shot and download the COVID Alert contact tracing app to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Ford’s government is, so far, resisting a call from hospitals to put some parts of Ontario back into Stage 2.
We don’t want to turn back a stage unless we absolutely have to.Health Minister Christine Elliott
The Ontario Hospital Association said Monday that the Greater Toronto Area and Ottawa region should move back to Stage 2, which saw restrictions on places like restaurants, gyms and outdoor playgrounds.
“We don’t want to turn back a stage unless we absolutely have to,” Health Minister Christine Elliott said Monday. “But if we do have to, we will.”
Ford did say that the province would spend $52.5 million to hire thousands of new health-care workers to...
