TORONTO -- Ontario Premier Doug Ford says Ontario will get through the COVID-19 pandemic a lot sooner than the province thought if residents continue to observe health protocols.
The premier made the comment at a news conference on Saturday afternoon alongside the health minister and the minister of natural resources and forestry.
“We’re seeing a gradual downward slope in the public domain [in COVID-19 cases] and the lower we get the more we can open up and get back to … the new normal,” Ford told reporters.
“I don’t know the exact time … but if we keep going the way we’re going, we’re going to get out of this a lot sooner than we thought we might be able to get out a couple months ago.”
The premier unveiled a three-phase plan on Monday to reopen the province following weeks of shutdown.
The government announced on Friday that certain businesses and workplaces can reopen next week with strict public health measures in effect.
The government said businesses permitted to reopen include seasonal businesses and some essential construction projects.
“The public domain everyone has done an incredible job,” Ford said on Saturday. “We need consistency for a couple of weeks and then we can loosen things up a little bit. We had a little glimmer of hope yesterday and we will continue giving people hope in this province.”
The premier told reporters that there are two different battles right now in the fight against COVID-19, one in the “public domain” and one in long-term care home.
The province reported on Saturday seven more outbreaks at long-term care homes in Ontario, bringing the total number of COVID-19 outbreaks in these facilities to 205.
Ontario health officials also reported 55 more deaths and 511 new cases of COVID-19, which brings the total number of novel coronavirus cases to 17,119.
