Though they can’t put on a date on it yet, Toronto Mayor John Tory says the City of Toronto is planning for when stores, parks and restaurants can re-open after the coronavirus pandemic subsides.
“We don’t have a date yet but we do have a plan to get the city back open and sort of celebrate that the city’s back open for business,” Tory told CP24 on Friday.
On top of all the planning for dealing with the immediate social and health impacts of the pandemic, Tory said there has to be some consideration for what will happen when everything is deemed safe again.
It has been more than three weeks since restaurants were told to go takeout only, bars closed and all the city’s attractions and cultural sites closed their doors.
“All those restaurants and bars will want some support when they get back open and we want them to survive until then,” Tory said.
The closure of all non-essential businesses and ban on all public gatherings has so far forced the cancellation of Pride Month, the Toronto Caribbean Carnival, The Toronto Marathon, Toronto Comicon, Canadian Screen Week, and the Collision Tech Conference.
Tory said Friday that the city has not yet done anything to cancel Canada Day, as it falls just outside the June 30 expiration of the measure against public gatherings.
