Doug Ford to meet with cabinet to discuss Ontario's plan for schools in January, sources say

Ontario Premier Doug Ford will meet with his cabinet this week to discuss whether the province should open schools in January, sources say. 

CTV News Toronto has learned that several other topics will be discussed during the meeting, including the recent U.S. CDC guidance to shorten some COVID-19 isolation periods.

A source said the meeting was originally scheduled for Wednesday, but it has been pushed until Thursday so cabinet can consider more data.

A spokesperson for Ford confirmed there was no cabinet meeting scheduled for Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Ford told reporters he would finalize and announce his decision on whether Ontario schools will go back to in-person learning in January by the end of the week. 

Meanwhile, more than 500 Ontario doctors have signed an open letter to the Ford government asking to keep schools open in January.

The doctors said government must not use provincial school closures as a means to control the spread of the disease.

"School closures should no longer be a knee-jerk reaction to rising case counts. Numerous jurisdictions have committed to keeping schools open and we need to do the same," the letter states.

Ontario reported the highest number of new COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began today with 10,436 new cases. The province’s test positivity rate also soared 26.9 per cent.