Cold weather will put province's plan to ease restrictions to the test, head of science table says
Now that Ontario has laid out its staged approach to lifting remaining pandemic restrictions, the head of Ontario's science table says the plan will quickly be put to the test and cold weather will be the biggest challenge.
"This is a roadmap and I think it makes perfect sense, to give people a sense of what will happen during the next few months," said Dr. Peter Juni, Scientific Director of Ontario's Science Advisory Table.
Many experts are optimistic, saying fears of a fourth wave are in the past.
But Dr. Juni says the plan, aimed to get this province closer to normalcy, will be quickly put to the test.
"The only curveball that is impending obviously is the bad weather, people will move indoors more and what we need to see is how this impact epidemic growth in this province," he said.
"It's important to recognize the pandemic isn't over and if we act like it's over we could get burned," said Dr. Isaac Bogoch, infectious disease specialist.
First to go in Ontario are capacity limits for many businesses on Monday.
"It's all good news, we're still cautiously optimistic because it can all change in the blink of an eye, but feels good," said Johnny Bonney, assistant general manager at the King Eddy in the ByWard market.
Also included in the province's plan is a timeline to drop proof of vaccination requirements and the province's mask mandate too starting early next year.
And so, as Ontario takes this next step forward, the message from experts is to remain cautious with cold months ahead. They say it's a slow and cautious approach, and not a one way street. The province will continue to monitor the COVID-19 burden on communities and says it is ready to pivot if need be.
Dr. Juni said the goal of that with a bit of discipline we can all enjoy more liberties with fewer restrictions.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What's a Barnacle? It's yellow, sticks and screams if you try to pry it off your car
Barnacles, bright yellow devices used to make sure parking scofflaws pay their tickets, could soon be making their way to cities across Canada.
Verdun Airbnb listing taken down amid complaints, fines and frustration from neighbours
An Airbnb in Montreal's Verdun borough was the source of much frustration from neighbours who say there were constant parties at the location. It has been taken down from the app, but housing advocates remain upset about short-term rentals.
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
They were from different countries and barely spoke each other's languages. More than 20 years later, they're still happily in love
He decided to spend Christmas somewhere that wouldn't involve snowstorm disasters. She was spending the holidays with family, travelling for the first time outside of her native country of Venezuela. 23 years later, they're still in love.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
A Nigerian chess champion plays the royal game for 60 hours - a new global chess record
A Nigerian chess champion and child education advocate played chess nonstop for 60 hours in New York City's Times Square to break the Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon.
Fire in Labrador town under control, officials tells residents to stay away
RCMP say the fire that prompted a state of emergency in a Labrador town is now under control.
12 students and teacher killed in Columbine school shooting remembered at 25th anniversary vigil
Thirteen victims of the Columbine High School shooting were remembered during a vigil Friday on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the shooting that was the worst the nation had seen at the time.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.