Toronto Public Health orders 4 workplaces to close and 7 more to partially close due to outbreaks
Under the Section 22 Class Order to address workplace COVID-19 risk, Toronto Public Health (TPH) has directed four workplaces to fully close. Seven other workplaces have also been directed to closed partially, as investigations by TPH indicate the entire operation does not need to be shut down. Upon investigation, the closure of the eighth workplace listed was no longer warranted to manage the transmission risk among employees. TPH will continue to work directly with the workplace to continue to implement infection prevention and control protocols.
The full closures ordered by TPH include a McDonald’s restaurant in North York, a butcher business in Etobicoke, a west Toronto car dealership and a fire safety business. While seven partial workplace closures include several more varied businesses all across Toronto, ranging from construction, to warehouses,to beauty products and furniture stores.
Workplaces that have been directed to fully close will post signage at all entrances to the premises. The full list of closures can be seen here under Active Outbreaks. Moving forward, TPH will update business closures each Thursday by 3 p.m. on its workplace outbreak dashboard, as per its regular reporting schedule.
“The purpose of the new order is to separate people who may be infecting each other throughout duration of the work day and then taking those infections home, which under the stay-at-home order is where most people should be spending the majority of their time these days when they can,” said Dr. Eileen de Villa, Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health.
Further instructions on employee isolation, quarantine and testing of employees have been communicated directly with the workplace. The majority of the workplaces where this Order would apply will not often or usually be places where the general public goes. As in the past, TPH will continue to communicate publicly if there is risk of exposure to the general public.
The Medical Officer of Health issued a Section 22 Class Order, which came into effect on Friday, April 23, to reduce transmission in workplaces to protect employees, their families and the community. The Order requires owners and operators to contact TPH as soon as they become aware of five or more cases associated with the workplaces within a 14-day period. Upon investigation, TPH will determine appropriate actions to protect employees and the community, whether it is a full or partial closure of the workplace. The Order may also apply to workplaces with less than five COVID-19 cases. In addition to preventing further spread of the virus, the Order will provide TPH investigators further capacity to expeditiously respond to workplace outbreaks.
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