Ontario extends state of emergency to July 15

By James Tubb

MITCHELL – The Ontario government is extending the state of emergency to July 15,  Premier Doug Ford announced today.

This latest extension could be the final one for the province, which has been in a state of emergency since March 17 to curb the spread of Covid-19. Many of the restrictions are likely to remain following July 15, which would include the ban on large gatherings, according to Ford.

“We are hopeful that another extension of the declaration  of emergency will not be needed as we see improvements in the public health trends and as people and businesses continue to act responsibly and adapt to the new environment,” Ford says.

Once it expires, the provincial government will not be able to introduce any new emergency orders or re-enact any older ones. Only those that remain can stay in effect.

New restrictions could only be introduced by local health units under the Health Protection and Promotion Act and could include rules such as requiring masks inside commercial buildings.

The Hastings – Prince Edward Public Health Unit announced on Wednesday it would be reopening its immunization clinics for children 0-18 years of age. All immunizations would be completed by appointment only.

All parents and children will be screened for the COVID-19 virus upon arrival. Only one parent and/or guardian will be allowed with a child for immunization.

As of June 24 the Hastings – Prince Edward Public Health said there were a total of 43 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since Jan. 15. There have been no new cases since May 18.

In place of a public press conference, Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, released national COVID-19 case numbers Wednesday morning:

As of the end of the day on Tuesday, there were 101,963 confirmed cases including 8,454 deaths in Canada. Labs across the country have tested over 2,482,869 people for COVID-19 to date.