Coronavirus: Ontario extends emergency orders until July 29

The Ontario government says it is extending most emergency orders until July 29 amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The province is enforcing emergency orders under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act due to the outbreak.

Keeping emergency orders in place allows the government flexibility to ensure vulnerable populations are protected as many regions are about to move into Stage 3 of reopening, the government said.

Much of Ontario is set to enter Stage 3 on Friday, with the exception of regions in the Greater Toronto Area, Hamilton, Niagara, Haldimand-Norfolk, Lambton and Windsor-Essex.

“Although the trends in public health indicators continue to improve, we must remain on our guard and only relax emergency orders if and when safe to do so,” Premier Doug Ford said in a statement Thursday morning.

“By following our gradual plan to reopen the province, we are seeing people get back to work and resume many activities safely. We do not want to undo the tremendous progress we have made together, so I urge everyone to stay the course and follow public health advice.”

On July 7, the Ontario government introduced the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020 that would, if passed, ensure certain measures remain in place once the state of emergency has ended in order to deal with impacts from the virus. A state of emergency was first declared on March 17.

According to the government, the following emergency orders have been extended until July 29:

• Work Redeployment for Certain Health Service Providers
• Drinking Water Systems and Sewage Works
• Electronic Service
• Work Deployment Measures in Long-Term Care Homes
• Electricity Price for RPP Consumers
• Rules for Areas in Stage 1
• Traffic Management
• Streamlining Requirements for Long-Term Care Homes
• Prohibition on Certain Persons Charging Unconscionable Prices for Sales of Necessary Goods
• Enforcement of Orders
• Work Deployment Measures for Boards of Health
• Work Deployment Measures in Retirement Homes
• Service Agencies Providing Services and Supports to Adults with Developmental Disabilities and Service Providers Providing Intervenor Services
• Pickup and Delivery of Cannabis
• Signatures in Wills and Powers of Attorney
• Use of Force and Firearms in Policing Services
• Agreements Between Health Service Providers and Retirement Homes
• Temporary Health or Residential Facilities
• Work Deployment Measures for Service Agencies Providing Violence Against Women Residential Services and Crisis Line Services
• Limiting Work to a Single Long-Term Care Home
• Work Deployment Measures for District Social Services Administration Boards
• Deployment of Employees of Service Provider Organizations
• Work Deployment Measures for Municipalities
• Limiting Work to a Single Retirement Home
• Work Deployment Measures for Mental Health and Addictions Agencies
• Congregate Care Settings
• Access to Personal Health Information by Means of the Electronic Health Record
• Certain Persons Enabled to Issue Medical Certificates of Death
• Hospital Credentialing Processes
• Education Sector
• Management of Long-Term Care Homes in Outbreak
• Management of Retirement Homes in Outbreak
• Special Rules Re: Temporary Pandemic Pay
• Rules for Areas in Stage 2
• Patios