On May 4, 2020, Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Deputy Premier and Minister of Health Christine Elliott announced a significant increase in Ontario’s testing and contact tracing capacities to stop the spread of COVID-19. Premier Ford and Minister Elliott were joined by Minister of Long-Term Care Dr. Merrilee Fullerton.
Following this afternoon’s announcement Premier Ford and Minister Elliott responded to questions from media regarding Ontario’s COVID-19 recovery plan.
Further Details
Expanded Testing Capacity
This afternoon Premier Doug Ford and Deputy Premier and Minister of Health Christine Elliott provided an update on Ontario’s COVID-19 testing capacity and announced that the province has surpassed the target of processing 16,000 tests per day, originally set for May 6.
Minister Elliott also announced that the Ontario government has developed an integrated laboratory system in partnership with Ontario Health, Public Health Ontario, local public health units, and hospital and community laboratories. This integrated system consists of more than 20 organizations and conducts daily check-ins and processes to address operational needs including supply levels, emerging technology, and laboratories with spare processing capacity. This network will continue to support Ontario’s health care system beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.
Minister Elliott reiterated that Ontario would continue to work to expand its testing capacity, focusing on testing vulnerable populations living in congregate settings.
Ontario’s COVID-19 Recovery Plan
Following this afternoon’s announcement Premier Ford and Minister Elliott responded to questions from media regarding Ontario’s COVID-19 recovery plan.
In response to questions about timelines for being able to safely meet with small groups from other households, Premier Ford reassured Ontarians that the province is getting closer to this point. He was hesitant to provide an exact date and did not indicate whether he would consider allowing “household bubbles,” a concept included in New Brunswick’s COVID-19 recovery plan, whereby two households mutually agree to spend time with one another.
Minister Elliott confirmed that designating certain hospitals “COVID-19-free” is under consideration in order to safely resume elective surgeries. She added that there are several other factors being considered as the province develops a plan to resume these procedures, including the availability of staff, personal protective equipment and necessary medication at hospitals. This plan is being finalized and will be made public soon.
In response to claims that business owners were caught off-guard by Friday’s announcement to allow certain Ontario businesses to re-open beginning today, Premier Ford encouraged the retail sector to begin preparations for reopening.