Here is a roundup of the latest developments on the coronavirus pandemic in the Greater Toronto Area for Wednesday:
510 new coronavirus cases in Ontario, total rises to 12,245 with 659 deaths
Ontario reported 510 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Wednesday and 37 additional deaths, bringing the provincial total to 12,245 cases.
The death toll has risen to 659.
Meanwhile, 6,221 people have recovered from COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, which is 50.8 per cent of cases.
Greater Toronto Area public health units account for 59.3 per cent of all cases in the province.
Status of COVID-19 cases in Toronto
Dr. Eileen de Villa, Toronto’s medical officer of health, said as of Wednesday afternoon, there were 3,685 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 384 probable cases.
Of the confirmed and probable cases, she said 106 of the 290 hospitalized Toronto residents were in ICU beds.
To date, 210 Toronto residents have died from COVID-19.
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Toronto Public Health begins tracking race-based data for COVID-19 -
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Wild animals visible in Toronto during Earth Day -
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Toronto home sales falls 69% amid coronavirus pandemic -
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Coronavirus: Toronto’s High Park set to close for cherry blossom season -
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Ontario government requests military to assist long-term care homes -
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Coronavirus: The Frontline Fund helping health care workers -
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Coronavirus: Durham Region order Lakeridge Health to oversee COVID-19 testing, screening at Pickering nursing home
Toronto, Mississauga temporarily closing parks with cherry blossoms
Toronto Mayor John Tory announced High Park will be temporarily closed soon to prevent crowds from attending to see the cherry blossoms.
The exact dates will be announced in the near future.
The announcement comes as Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie announced the temporary closure of Kariya Park. An online livestream was setup to showcase the trees.
The City of Toronto is also set to unveil a livestream of the cherry blossoms at High Park.
READ MORE: Toronto’s High Park to temporarily close in effort to stop cherry blossom crowds
Toronto Public Health to collect race-based data related to COVID-19
Toronto Public Health will now be collecting race-based data connected to COVID-19, a practice its provincial counterparts aren’t doing.
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Coun. Joe Cressy, who is also chair of Toronto’s board of health, said the practice was necessary so the city could learn everything it can about those impacted COVID-19 while adjusting public health practices.
Cressy said if the City of Toronto wants to respond effectively during the pandemic, it needs to understand which groups are the most at risk to COVID-19.
READ MORE: City of Toronto to start gathering race-based data connected to COVID-19
61% of Toronto businesses would close down in 3 months, survey says
A survey that looked at businesses in Toronto found that 61 per cent will not survive over the next three months, without much needed rent relief, due to the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It also said that 76 per cent of businesses would close down for good within five months.
The survey, conducted by Broadview-Danforth BIA – on behalf of dozens of Toronto BIAs, surveyed 561 small business tenants and 137 landlords across the city.
Landlords and business owners are calling for a rent relief bailout – 84 per cent of businesses and 72 per cent of landlords said rent relief bailout would help.
According to tenants in the survey, 50 per cent of businesses could not make April’s rent, and 72 per cent of businesses feel they will not make all of May’s rent.
Meanwhile, landlords in the survey indicated that 74 per cent of them did not receive all of April’s rent, and 82 per cent of landlords feel they will not receive all of May’s rent either.
City of Toronto launches business support centre
The City of Toronto has launched a one-on-one virtual support centre for businesses.
Officials said the BusinessTO Support Centre will help companies with applying for government support programs and will provide weekly online seminars.
Click here for more information.
Greater Toronto Area home sales down 69% midway through April due to COVID-19
The Toronto Regional Real Estate Board says home sales were down 69 per cent in the first 17 days of April compared with a year ago as the COVID-19 outbreak put a chill on market activity.
Board president Michael Collins says in an unusual mid-month update that uncertainty about jobs and the economy contributed to the decline, as did physical distancing measures that make homebuying more difficult.
The board says new listings declined a similar 63.7 per cent to 3,843, leaving market conditions tight enough to support the average selling price in line with 2019 levels.
Easing of restrictions will come in ‘a trickle’: Ford
Ontario Premier Doug Ford says coronavirus-related restrictions will be eased in “a trickle.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Ford said if the case numbers continue to go down, the province may see an easing of restrictions around Victoria Day. However, during his afternoon press conference, Ford seemed to back away from a specific time frame.
Ford has said any easing of restrictions will be reliant on a downward trend of cases and the advice of medical officials.
Ontario calling in Canadian Forces to assist with long-term care homes
Premier Doug Ford says he will be asking the federal government for assistance in handling coronavirus outbreaks in long-term care homes in the province, including help from the Canadian Armed Forces.
Ford said his government will be making a formal request on Wednesday, which will also include a call for additional resources from the Public Health Agency of Canada.
“We will begin by directing that the additional personnel be deployed to five priority homes in the province,” Ford said.
Ontario to test all long term care residents, staff for COVID-19
Ontario is expanding COVID-19 testing to every resident and worker in long-term care homes, as nearly 450 residents have died amid growing outbreaks in the province’s facilities.
Provincial health officials have previously resisted calls for such widespread testing of asymptomatic people, but a new memo from the deputy ministers of health and long-term care, as well as the chief medical officer of health, tells public health units (PHUs) to immediately develop plans for the broad testing.
As of Wednesday, there have been at least 448 deaths in long-term care amid outbreaks at 127 facilities, according to data from the Ministry of Long-Term Care. That is 49 more deaths since the previous day.
— With files from Matthew Bingley and The Canadian Press
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