On April 23, 2020, Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Minister of Children, Community and Social Services Todd Smith announced the release of Ontario’s COVID-19 Action Plan for Vulnerable People. Premier Ford and Minister Smith were joined by Deputy Premier and Minister of Health Christine Elliott, and Minister of Long-Term Care Dr. Merrilee Fullerton.
Following the announcement, Premier Ford, Minister Elliott, and Dr. Fullerton responded to questions from media regarding the ongoing COVID-19 response in Ontario’s long-term care sector, as well as plans for lifting restrictions in certain sectors.
Earlier today, the Ontario government announced the extension of all emergency orders that have been put in place under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act until May 6, 2020.
Further Details
Vulnerable Populations COVID-19 Action Plan
This afternoon, Premier Doug Ford and Minister of Children, Community and Social Services Todd Smith announced the release of Ontario’s COVID-19 Action Plan for Vulnerable People, which aims to better protect vulnerable populations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Action Plan announced today aims to protect people living in high-risk settings for contracting COVID-19, including homes serving those with developmental disabilities, shelters for survivors of gender-based violence and human trafficking, children’s residential settings, and residential settings supporting vulnerable Indigenous individuals and families.
There are three pillars of the COVID-19 Action Plan for Vulnerable People:
1. Enhanced screening and reduced exposure to prevent spread:
This pillar involves enhancing screening of visitors, staff and residents on all sites, as well as restricting non-essential visitors. Masks will also be provided to staff working in congregate care settings, along with training on the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the event of an outbreak.
2. Infection control:
This pillar involves managing outbreaks and limiting spread. Testing of symptomatic staff and clients will be enhanced in order to identify the need for isolation and infection control measures on-site.
In high-risk settings such as developmental services, intervenor services, violence against women and anti-human trafficking settings, staff will be limited to working with just one employer during an outbreak. High-risk settings dealing with outbreaks will also be provided with additional training on managing outbreaks, including guidance on how to isolate clients.
3. Sustaining staffing and managing staff shortages:
This pillar involves working with organizations to promote workforce stability and capacity in high-risk settings.
The government will also work with Indigenous-led congregate care settings both on- and off-reserve to ensure that supports are available and adapted to meet local needs.
The measures outlined above will be implemented over the next 48 hours. This Action Plan builds on the government’s previous actions to protect vulnerable people living in congregate settings during the COVID-19 pandemic, including visitor restrictions, flexibility for staff hours, emergency child care for frontline workers, and providing alternate settings for care.
COVID-19 Response in Long-Term Care
Following the announcement, Premier Ford and Dr. Fullerton responded to questions from media regarding the ongoing COVID-19 response in Ontario’s long-term care (LTC) sector.
In response to questions about whether the Ontario government failed LTC residents, Premier Ford admitted that the LTC system must be changed and that his government will take action to see that it is improved. Currently, however, the government’s focus is on protecting residents. Dr. Fullerton added there is a moral imperative to improve our LTC system and said that the government will continue to look at systemic changes that allow for both LTC staff and residents to be treated with respect and dignity.
Regarding the Ontario government’s decision yesterday to formally request federal support in LTC, Premier Ford said that the government is currently determining how to prioritize which LTC homes receive military assistance. In LTC homes where Canadian Armed Forces personnel are deployed, Premier Ford said they will be used to support frontline workers in any capacity that they can.
Plans for Lifting Restrictions
Premier Ford and Minister Elliott also responded to questions from media regarding plans for lifting restrictions in certain sectors as the number of new cases of COVID-19 begins to decline.
In response to questions about garden centres who are concerned about having to waste product due to store closures, Premier Ford confirmed that positive news for these businesses will be coming in the next few days.
Asked about whether the Ontario government would amend the Municipal Act to permit municipalities facing revenue shortfalls due to COVID-19 to run deficits, Premier Ford said that Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Steve Clark, is working on a plan for municipalities. Premier Ford added that the Ontario government is also looking to the federal government for support on this issue.
In response to questions about timelines for resuming elective surgeries and other medical procedures in Ontario’s health care system, Minister Elliott confirmed that this is currently under consideration. While Minister Elliott acknowledged that many Ontarians are waiting for cancer surgeries, she said that COVID-19 testing and contact tracing capacities must first be improved and there must be a decline in the number of new cases before these procedures can resume.
Extension of Emergency Orders
Earlier today, the Ontario government announced the extension of all emergency orders that have been put in place under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act until May 6, 2020.
This Emergency Order extension applies to the closure of outdoor amenities in parks and recreational areas, non-essential workplaces, public places and bars and restaurants, along with restrictions on social gatherings and limiting staff from working in more than one retirement home or LTC home.