COVID numbers lower, but golf courses can't open yet: Elliott
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Ontario’s third wave of COVID-19 has not ebbed enough to reopen golf courses and tennis courts, Health Minister Christine Elliott said.
“They’re still closed because we still need to see the rate of cases go down even further,” Elliott said Tuesday. “We have seen a lessening of case rates in the last several days but that doesn’t necessarily mean there’s a trend. We are dealing with the variants of concern (VOC) which are highly transmissible and cause hospitalizations and ICU admissions.
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“So we still need to stay at home as much as possible — the stay-at-home order is still in place,” she said.
The Doug Ford government’s order is in effect until at least May 20, but many people have asked that the closure of golf courses and similar amenities be reconsidered.
Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner said in a statement Tuesday that safe outdoor recreation facilities should not be shuttered.
“The (COVID-19) Science Table is clear: policies that discourage safe outdoor activity will not limit the spread of COVID-19, and will disproportionately harm children and those who do not have access to their own greenspace,” Schreiner said. “Many Ontarians live in more crowded housing — not everyone has the privilege of a backyard … Instead of stopping people from safely spending time outdoors, Ford needs to focus on keeping workplaces safe, which is where the majority of COVID spread occurs and what the Science Table is advising.”
Ontario recorded its lowest daily COVID-19 count in five weeks Tuesday — 2,791 cases.
The last time the province saw a lower daily tally was on April 1 when there were 2,557 new cases.
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There were 931 new cases in Toronto, 653 in Peel, 275 in York, 147 in Durham, 128 in Hamilton, 112 in Ottawa and 101 in Halton.
Ontario administered 33,740 COVID-19 tests in the previous 24 hours, reversing a trend that had seen the province conducting upwards of 50,000 to 60,000 tests a day.
An additional 25 lives were lost to COVID-19, including nine residents of long-term care (LTC) where deaths had been tapering off to near zero following widespread vaccinations.
Hospitals reported caring for 2,167 patients with COVID-19 including 886 patients in intensive care and 609 patients on ventilators.
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Ontario put 88,871 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine into arms bringing the total number of doses administered to almost 5.5 million.
However, the number of people fully vaccinated with two shots remains just below 380,000 in a population of about 14.7 million people.
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