On May 24, 2020, Ontario Premier Doug Ford delivered a statement regarding testing.
He had a very specific message for the people of Ontario: anybody can now get tested, regardless if they are exhibiting symptoms or not. He stressed that Ontarians can now get tested out of abundance of caution at one of Ontario’s 129 assessment centres. This contrasts with the province’s previous approach of testing only those who exhibit specific symptoms.
The Premier also revealed that later this week the government will unveil their broader testing strategy. It will outline how they plan to further ramp up testing and how they will target specific sectors.
The Premier also expressed his disappointment with overcrowding of parks. He urged the public to maintain physical distancing measures as the weather begins to get warmer.
The province confirmed 460 new cases of the virus on Saturday, up from the 412 reported on Friday and the 441 confirmed on Thursday. There are now 25,500 lab-confirmed cases of the virus in Ontario. An additional 25 deaths have also been reported in Ontario, bringing the total number of virus-related deaths in the province to 2,073.
The number of people who have recovered from the virus now sits at 19,477.
The Premier did not take questions from the media today.