Ontario extends all emergency orders for another 10 days

TORONTO -- Ontario has extended all emergency orders for another 10 days.

“We are extending these emergency orders to protect the health and safety of all individuals and families as we begin to gradually and safely reopen our province,” Premier Doug Ford said in a news release issued on Wednesday morning.

“To build on the progress we have made to contain COVID-19, people should continue to follow these simple public health guidelines, practice physical distancing, wear a mask when it is a challenge to physical distance, and wash their hands regularly.”

On May 19, the province extended all emergency orders, including the closure of outdoor playgrounds, public swimming pools, and bars and restaurants, except for takeout and delivery, until May 29.

The orders will now be in effect until June 9.

For this time, there also continues to be restrictions on social gatherings of more than five people and staff redeployment rules for long-term care homes and congregate settings remain in effect.

On May 19, the province entered the first stage of its recovery phase, which allowed retail stores with a street-front entrance to begin operating again and permitted some outdoor recreational amenities, including sports facilities, to reopen.

Since then, Ontario saw around 400 or more new COVID-19 cases recorded each day before the number of patients recorded on Tuesday dropped back down to 287.

The province initially declared a state of emergency on March 17.