OTTAWA -- Ottawa's medical officer of health says it's not too soon to start planning for a reopening of the economy, but there are still risks, including to the City's supply of personal protective equipment (PPE).
Speaking with CTV Morning Live's Leslie Roberts on Tuesday morning, Dr. Vera Etches said all levels of government need to start planning for a gradual return to normal.
"I don't think it's too soon to be thinking about the safest way to go about opening our economy," she said. "We know people have been suffering financially. We need to get people back to work. It's a conversation we need to have with federal, provincial and local partners to make sure we do it safely."
However, she cautioned health-care workers are still concerned about their PPE supply.
"There are some things we don't have in place as much as we'd like," she said. "We still hear health-care workers saying they'd like a better supply of masks; health-care workers who want to be assured that as we ease off on some restrictions that they'll have that protection that they need."
Dr. Etches wouldn't say there's a definite shortage, but said the possibility of one is a concern.
"I think that the ongoing supply and the comfort with that is still a question for people. Absolutely, the situation's improved, but those are the kinds of things we need to know, that we will have the supplies we need."
On Monday, Dr. Etches said there's no evidence yet Ottawa has reached its peak, when it comes to COVID-19 infections, despite modelling from the Province suggesting Ontario could start seeing case numbers begin to fall. She did say the worst appears to be over for the general population but there are still concerns for people living and working in long-term care homes.
"There are still populations that are very vulnerable to severe outcomes and we know that there are a lot of infections still possible out there in our community," Dr. Etches said Tuesday. "When we stop treating it that way and forget about physical distancing, there's that possibility infections could ramp back up."
Dr. Etches says a slow return to a new normal is best, as Ottawa Public Health gauges the risk of a second or third wave of COVID-19 infections.
"I think we need to be carfeful; I think we need to go slowly, testing things out as we go and checking to see what the impact is on the infection rate," she said.
A new Angus Reid poll, released Monday, suggests most Canadians do want parks and workplaces open soon, but they're not in a rush to start resuming regular routines.
Forty-three per cent of respondents said they would wait until no new cases are reported in their respective provinces for two weeks before getting back to their former social lives.
