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Province expected to announce four-week stay-at-home order

Move would close all non-essential businesses to in-person shopping, restrict non-essential sections of big box stores.
Doug Ford
Ontario Premier Doug Ford in Thunder Bay in 2018. (tbnewswatch.com/FILE)

TORONTO -- Ontario Premier Doug Ford is expected on Wednesday to announce a province-wide stay-at-home order that will close all non-essential businesses to in-person shopping starting on Thursday.

Multiple media outlets have confirmed the decision, which follows a lengthy cabinet meeting Tuesday evening. The order is expected to come into effect on Thursday at 12:01 a.m. and last for up to four weeks. 

The move will force non-essential stores to resort to curbside pick-up only and non-essential aisles of big box stores will be restricted It's the first time the Ford government has placed such restrictions on big box retailers. They will be limited to grocery and pharmacy items only.

Grocery stores and pharmacies will be permitted to remain open, as will garden centres, according to a CBC report.

Ontario was under a less restrictive stay-at-home that began on Jan. 14 and was lifted in Thunder Bay on Feb. 16.

Earlier this week medical officers of health in Peel Region, Toronto and Ottawa wrote a letter to the province, urging them to take strong action to curb the spread of COVID-19. The province has averaged more than 2,800 cases a day over the past five days, though Thunder Bay has seen its case count plummet recently, with just 89 cases in the past week.

The district's active case count is down to 149, the lowest it's been since mid-February.

Travel restrictions between regions were among the recommendations made by the medical officers of health, who also requested the province include paid sick days to keep sick people from going to work.

There is no word on whether the new stay-at-home order will include closing schools across the province to in-class learning. Schools in Thunder Bay have been reduced to remote learning since March 1.



Leith Dunick

About the Author: Leith Dunick

A proud Nova Scotian who has called Thunder Bay home since 2002, Leith is Dougall Media's director of news, but still likes to tell your stories too. Wants his Expos back and to see Neil Young at least one more time. Twitter: @LeithDunick
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