TORONTO – Facing record COVID-19 case counts, Ontario’s provincial government tightened restrictions Friday – though some remained unclear amid muddled messaging from Premier Doug Ford and other officials.
Ford announced adjustments to the province’s Stage 3 rules at a press conference Friday, citing provincial modelling that showed the province could reach 1,000 new cases per day in the first half of October.
Ontario reported a single-day record of 732 new cases on Friday.
The changes announced later that day include making face masks mandatory in indoor public settings – already implemented by municipalities or health units in much of the province – pausing any further reopening for 28 days, changes to testing policies, and the lowering of some gathering limits in provincial “hot-spots” Toronto, Peel, and Ottawa.
The government also announced a pause to its “social circles” concept, which advised residents to limit close contact to a group of no more than 10 people.
In a release, the government said it now advised Ontarians to have close contact only with those living in their own household, and to maintain a minimum distance of two metres from anyone else. That included an exception for those living alone, who were advised they might have close contact with one other household.
However, Ford and other officials seemed to discount the importance of that advice when pressed by reporters Friday.
"All we’re saying is just be careful,” Ford said. “Just keep your circles tight.”
Chief medical officer of health Dr. David Williams said simply that residents should “pick [close contacts] carefully,” while Health Minister Christine Elliot said people should keep gatherings to immediate family “as much as possible.”
Facing a backlog of around 90,000 un-processed tests as of Friday, the government also announced a move to appointment-only COVID-19 testing, beginning Tuesday.
Assessment centres were required to end walk-in testing services on Sunday.
That accompanied new, less stringent screening guidelines for schools and daycares announced Thursday.
