City of Toronto update on COVID-19

The City of Toronto continues to respond to COVID-19. Today, Mayor John Tory, Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eileen de Villa and Fire Chief and General Manager of the Office of Emergency Management Matthew Pegg provided an update on the City’s measures to combat the resurgence of the virus in Toronto.

Since the start of the pandemic there have now been a total of 87,644 cases of COVID-19 in the city, an increase of 961 new cases today. There are 397 people hospitalized. In total, 78,378 people have recovered from COVID-19. To date, there have been 2,434 COVID-19 deaths in Toronto. Today’s case counts are higher as a result of adjustments due to the transition to the provincial information system for case and contact management, as announced last week. Starting tomorrow there will be reduced reporting as Toronto Public Health addresses issues with technology before resuming full daily reporting. In the meantime, Toronto Public Health will continue providing daily updates on new cases, hospitalizations and deaths. Case status data can be found on the City’s reporting platform: www.toronto.ca/home/covid-19/covid-19-latest-city-of-toronto-news/covid-19-status-of-cases-in-toronto/.

The City continues to remind people to stay at home as much as possible but recognizes the public health benefits of fresh air and outdoor exercise. Residents are reminded that no open waterway ice is safe to play or walk on for people or for pets. Following recent incidents of people and pets breaking through ice, residents are reminded of the importance of exercising caution any time they are near an open waterway that appears frozen and to never go onto the ice. The City has numerous safe winter options for residents to enjoy on their own or with members of their household that can be explored at http://toronto.ca/welcometowinter.

It remains imperative that all people in the city respect COVID-19 orders and stay home as much as possible to save lives by reducing opportunities for COVID-19 to spread. Please review the City’s simple “Dos” and “Don’ts” guide for recommended and mandatory public health measures. The guide communicates some of what is and what is not, permitted under the provincial Lockdown Regulation that remains in effect and the new stay-at-home order to help stop the spread of COVID-19. The guide can be found at www.toronto.ca/lockdownguide.

SOURCE:  City of Toronto