We could find out on Monday whether or not Toronto and much of the GTA will join the rest of the province in stage 3 of reopening and what that might look like.
Meantime, Mayor John Tory has written a letter to Premier Doug Ford, calling for amendments to reopening plans, especially when it comes to bars and restaurants - and indoor dining.
There are concerns they could be a higher risk for transmission of the virus.
Mayor John Tory expressed some of his concerns about Stage 3 to NEWSTALK 1010 on Sunday.
"One of the big changes that would come is the opening of bars and indoor restaurants, and you know the restaurant industry has had such a tough time, so you, I think, to be opened up, so alot of people have been urging upon me and I've been thinking to myself...I'm worried about bars. They've proven to be in Montreal and in the U.S., a place where alot of people seem to - you know - just by the nature people standing around talking to each other. It gets louder, people have a couple of drinks - a place where the virus can spread - and so, you know what I've put forward to the premier is only that, if we're gonna move to Stage 3 and if bars are gonna be open, let's implement some of those things that I agree are common sense, like maybe some earlier closing hours, like face coverings for staff and patrons and quite explicit rules."
Below is a partial breakdown of some of the amendments Mayor Tory is requesting in his letter to the premier. He clarifies they would apply to the City of Toronto, but notes the province may want to include other large jurisdictions as well:
1) Patrons be seated at all times unless entering, exiting, travelling to and from the washroom, or paying.
2) Operators of food and drink establishments where patrons will be seated shall maintain a client log with a name and contact information for one person, minimum, in each party along with the date, check in and check out times,and table number. These logs would be stored for 30 days (for contact tracing purposes), after which the information can be destroyed.
3) Food and drink establishments should be subject to additional capacity restrictions that limit occupancy to ensure that physical distancing can be easily maintained by all patrons.
4) The amended Stage 3 order should implement early closure times (e.g. midnight last call) for food and drink establishments for at least an initial period of time, similar to what was done in Quebec.
5) Require operators of food and drink establishments to implement COVID-19 screening protocols for staff, such as completion of a screening questionnaire, prior to the commencement of their shifts.
6) Mandatory face covering requirements for staff and patrons should be clearly outlined in the amended Stage 3 order.
Also noted in the mayor's letter: "According to our health officials, these establishments present a high level of risk of transmission of the COVID-19 virus: all of the factors known to be associated with high risk are present—close, prolonged contact with many other people in a closed environment. This is borne out by reports of multiple cases arising from bars in Quebec,
Alberta, many US states and South Korea."
For a look at the full letter from Mayor John Tory to Premier Doug Ford, click below:
I’ve sent a letter to Premier @fordnation with a request for additional measures to be implemented as part of Stage 3. These six recommendations will help protect our City from further spread of #COVID19 & help ensure we continue safely reopening. pic.twitter.com/k26BxDsDT4
— John Tory (@JohnTory) July 19, 2020
Be sure to join host John Moore on "Moore in the Morning", starting at 6 o'clock Monday morning for a deeper dive into all the issues and concerns, ahead of the premier's announcement expected Monday afternoon.
With files from Mayor John Tory, City of Toronto