Here are today’s new developments:
- The Ministry of Health reported a seventh death of a health-care worker associated with the long-term care system today.
- CAF members leave long-term care homes: Members of the Canadian Armed Forces finished their mission at Ontario long-term care homes today, leaving the last facility where a team was present.
Migrant workers:
- After Ford failed to protect migrant workers and COVID-19 to spread to more than 670 workers in Essex County, the local health unit was forced to overrule Ford’s order to keep infected workers on the job. In an effort to isolate them, local health authorities were left scrambling to find housing for hundreds of infected workers.
- Ford claims he sent Emergency Management Ontario to the region today, but Essex’s health officer was not aware they were there.
- Ford also apologized today for his remarks criticizing migrants who he claimed were “hiding” from COVID-19 tests. MPP Taras Natyshak disputed Ford’s claims yesterday and told him to reverse his decision to force migrant workers with COVID-19 to work, and produce a real plan to protect workers and public health.
Mandatory masks
- Ford has refused to make masks mandatory on GO, even though Toronto has made mask mandatory on the TTC and in enclosed public places. New Democrats are calling out Ford for not respecting decision of local municipalities to make masks mandatory.
Relief for municipalities
Solutions we’re pushing for:
Andrea Horwath has begun laying the foundation for a better long-term care and home care system that truly supports and enables seniors, after a successful virtual summit last night.
The summit, which had over 3,000 viewers streaming from home, brought together participants from across Ontario – from advocates and family members to experts and frontline workers – to address the origins of the long-standing crisis in long-term care, how to stamp out COVID-19 hotspots in the short run, and how to overhaul the system to provide the highest quality care.