The Canadian Press
Shawn Jeffords and Salmaan Farooqui
TORONTO–Some child care centres will stay open for the kids of health-care workers and first responders, in a move the Ontario government said will help workers focus on responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Education Minister Stephen Lecce announced the new policy less than a week after all child care centres in the province were ordered to close when the government declared a state of emergency.
He said centres could provide up to 50,000 spaces by the end of the week but will be required to follow existing health and safety requirements when it comes to COVID-19.
The centres will also be required to limit the number of children they care for at one time, he added.
“This is an important step to enable our frontline workers to focus exclusively on saving lives and preventing the spread of COVID-19,” Lecce said, noting the service will be free.
The decision comes as Ontario Public Health reported nearly 50 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, bringing the total in the province to 425.
The provincial total includes eight resolved cases and six deaths. Three new deaths were announced on Sunday – a Toronto man in his 70s, a woman from York region who was also in her 70s and a man from the Haliburton area in his 80s.
No information is listed for the majority of the new cases, but two women in their 20s are among the newest positive tests.
On Saturday night, the province announced it was issuing a new order under its emergency declaration giving hospitals the ability to cancel and postpone services to redeploy resources and staff quickly.
The government said the order will specifically give hospitals the power to redeploy staff to different locations in a facility including to COVID-19 assessment centres.
It will also allow a hospital to defer or cancel staff vacations or leaves.
“While normal protocols are important in routine times, these extraordinary steps will ensure our health sector workers are there, where and when they are needed, to care for Ontarians and support our extensive efforts to contain this virus,” Solicitor General Sylvia Jones said in a statement.
