Toronto 'strongly recommends' restaurants and bars offer only take-out, delivery to stop COVID-19 spread
Dr. Eileen de Villa is also urging concert halls, nightclubs and theatres to close
Toronto's Medical Officer of Health is 'strongly recommending' restaurants and bars stop dine-in service and offer only take-out or delivery to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
Dr. Eileen de Villa has asked that restaurants and bars make the change no later than midnight Monday. de Villa is also calling on theatres, concert venues, and nightclubs to temporarily close.
Businesses that defy the request could be ordered to close through a provision in the Health Protection and Promotion Act. de Villa says businesses found guilty of violating such an order could be fined as much as $25,000 a day.
Ontario's Chief Medical Office of Health made a similar request of bars and restaurants Monday afternoon. Dr. David Williams also asked houses of worship to cancel services and private schools to close.
In Toronto, de Villa called on every person in the city to "rise to the challenge" of changing habits to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
"If you can stay home, do," de Villa said emphatically. "Every opportunity to avoid interactions with others helps to prevent to spread of disease. Every interaction avoided, helps to flatten the curve."
de Villa does not feel that closing malls is necessary at this stage as long as shoppers exercise social distancing. She explains that transactions in malls tend to be brief and that people need to have access to essential goods and services. Toronto's malls are operating on shortened hours and many stores within them have chosen to close.
de Villa is urging Torontonians to practice social distancing when going out to shop for critical supplies or for medical appointments. She also wants employers to find ways to help their staff stay home. Travellers returning from trips anywhere outside Canada are still being instructed to self-isolate for 14 days after their arrival.
"I'm asking for everyone in our city to take these recommendations seriously and make every possible effort to practice social distancing," de Villa said. "I cannot over-emphasize how important this is, particularly at this critical time."
de Villa points to a recent spike in COVID-19 cases, some of which do not appear to be linked to each other, indicating some kind of community transmission. Among Toronto's 96 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, officials have not been able to connect three of them to travel or close contact with someone else who was ill.