Doug Ford hints at lifting restrictions on gatherings as Ontario reopens

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is hinting that the ban on gatherings of over five people may soon be lifted in the province, according to The Star.

During his announcement regarding the reopening of Ontario’s economy, a reporter asked Ford why people in the province are able to shop but not able to see family members that they don’t live with.

“You know something, I get it. I really do. I understand the pain that you’re going through,” Ford said Thursday.

“I know that … my daughters (were) over and I got in trouble for that, but for months we never saw them,” he said, talking about a visit from his daughters on Mother’s day.

“And I just ask, just hang in there, just a little bit longer and we’ll get through it. But I fully understand the concerns out there, and I appreciate the concerns.”

Two days before the announcement, Ford mentioned that he was discussing lifting the current five-person cap with the province's top public health official, Dr. David Williams.

“We’re in full discussion with the chief medical officer regarding the numbers, if we’re going to move it from five to 10. But that will be the chief medical officer’s call.”

Health Minister Christine Elliot also noted that officials are working to ensure that restrictions are lifted safely.

“We know that’s one of the things that are most important to people — that they do want to be able to see their friends and family — and we are doing a lot of work at the command table in health on this particular issue,” Elliott said on Thursday.

“We’re working with some of the (projection) modelling experts, some of the people who are very, very knowledgeable with respect to these types of pandemics and what’s most appropriate,” she added.

“We’ve been talking about pooling or bubbling that has been happening in some other jurisdictions,” she said, pointing to families and friend groups limiting their visiting to two households.

“So, we don’t have the final answer yet, but we are studying it very carefully because we know — especially with the warm weather coming forward — that that’s what people want to hear about. We are taking all of those things into consideration and hope to have more information to share with you very soon.”

An order under Ontario’s Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act says that “no person shall attend an organized public event of more than five people, including a parade.”

Also prohibited is “a social gathering of more than five people or a gathering of more than five people for the purposes of conducting religious services, rites or ceremonies.”

That “applies to an event or gathering even if it is held at a private dwelling.”

Exceptions include “a gathering of members of a single household (and) a gathering for the purposes of a funeral service that is not attended by more than 10 persons.”

There was a vote by MPPs earlier this week to extend the province’s state of emergency to June 2. But Ford announced Thursday that the province will start reopening slowly with Williams’ okay.

Students in Ontario are provisionally set to go back to class on June 1, though it seems schools will not reopen until September. There is expected to be an official announcement made by Education Minister Stephen Lecce next week.

On Saturday, golf courses, marinas, and kennels are set to open for the Victoria Day long weekend.

Retailers that have separate street entrances will be able to reopen Tuesday but will have to limit how many customers they allow in the stores.

Indoor shopping malls remain closed and clothing stores can only use fitting rooms that have doors instead of curtains—though every other room cannot be used for physical distancing reasons.

Construction sites are also to reopen on Tuesday but hairdressers, barbers and manicurists can’t open until a later date.

Surgeries that were previously scheduled at private and public health facilities can begin on Tuesday after being pushed back or cancelled due to coronavirus measures.

Restaurants, which are mostly limited to takeout will still have to wait before reopening.