Toronto update on COVID-19, vaccine clinic going on pause from Jan. 22

Mayor Tory raises concerns about masks not being worn in certain apartment and condo common areas

On Monday, Mayor John Tory, Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eileen de Villa and Fire Chief and General Manager of the Office of Emergency Management Matthew Pegg provided an update on the City’s measures to combat the resurgence of the virus in Toronto and operations of the City’s proof-of-concept COVID-19 immunization clinic.

The City says since the start of the pandemic there have been a total of 77,327 cases of COVID-19 in the city, an increase of 892 new cases today. There are 491 people hospitalized. In total, 66,398 people have recovered from COVID-19. To date, there have been 2,206 COVID-19 deaths in Toronto. Case status data can be found on the City’s reporting platform.

Under the direction of the Ministry of Health and the Province of Ontario’s COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Task Force, the City and Toronto Public Health today opened Ontario’s first non-hospital-operated proof-of-concept immunization clinic at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. This is an important milestone in the City’s fight against COVID-19 as this first clinic will help test and adjust immunization clinic setup in non-hospital settings, ensuring safety and increasing efficiency in advance of wider immunization.

Given the ongoing issues with the Pfizer vaccine supply, the City has been notified by the Province that the clinic will need to pause operations after Friday, January 22. As stated prior to opening, the operation of the proof-of-concept clinic depends entirely on vaccine supply – which is beyond the control of the City and Province. The Province was clear that the clinic should proceed to open this week to begin testing operations and developing a playbook for all large immunization clinics.

The City and Province are also working together to validate current registration lists and schedules for the proof-of-concept clinic. Yesterday afternoon, the City understood that there was a potential issue with the registration process for the clinic whereby some individuals who may not fall into the prioritization framework for this initial clinic were able to book an appointment.

Since the registration issue was discovered, the City has been working to review registrations and has added additional checks and verifications at the clinic’s in-person check-in as well as signage on site. Should the City determine there are people registered who do not qualify for vaccine at this time, the City will contact those people directly, reminding them that the proof-of-concept clinic’s initial clientele are frontline healthcare workers working in the city’s shelter system and in public health only.

Apartment and condo Management need to enforce the wearing of masks in common areas

During the City’s daily COVID press conference, Mayor Tory addressed several complaints that have been made from condo and apartment residents regarding people not wearing masks in common areas like, lobbies, elevators, laundry areas and hallways.

“The City was one of the first municipalities in Ontario to move forward with mandatory mask rules in businesses, on transit and in shared spaces in private residential buildings,” said Mayor Tory. “I have asked the staff to drill down into the complaints we have received about masks and face coverings not being worn in apartments and condos. And that is so that we can identify for example any frequent addresses that come up where we have been having more than an average number of complaints and then to follow up with building owners who are responsible for putting these policies in place in each of their respective buildings,” said Tory.

“It is my hope that this review by City staff of where the complaints are coming from will insure that this Bylaw is continuing to be followed by building owners and individual residents and I think the two go together here if we want this to be successful,” added Tory.

Tory said the Bylaw requires building owners or operators to have a face covering policy in place ensuring individuals are wearing masks in the enclosed common spaces “such as the lobbies, the elevators, and the laundry rooms, and to post corresponding signage.”

“We even created signage at the City Hall for buildings to use and to post and it is posted itself, the the signage on the city’s website so it is easy for people to reproduce it, and many have done so.”

Last week, the Province of Ontario declared its second state of emergency and a stay-at-home order came into effect in Toronto and across the province. The City is supportive of strengthened measures to stop the spread of COVID-19, protect the healthcare system and save lives. The City is asking all people to respect the goal of the new COVID-19 regulations. The intention is for people to stay home as much as possible to reduce opportunities for COVID-19 spread and save lives.

Please review the City’s simple “Dos” and “Don’ts” guide for recommended and mandatory public health measures. The guide communicates some of what is and what is not, permitted under the provincial Lockdown Regulation that remains in effect and the new stay-at-home order to help stop the spread of COVID-19. The guide can be found at toronto.ca/lockdownguide.

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