THUNDER BAY - Premier Doug Ford is warning Ontarians that unless actions are taken today, the province could see itself in a similar situation as other parts of the world that have been devastated by COVID-19.
“The hard truth is, right now, today, there is very little separating what we will face here in Ontario and the devastation we have seen in Italy and Spain,” Ford said during the daily media briefing from Queen’s Park on Wednesday. “Lives are at stake.”
Ford said the next two weeks will be critical for the province and whether or not it will see a surge in cases. People are once again being reminded to do their part and stay home as much as possible.
“If we are going to beat this enemy, we need to remember that this virus doesn’t travel on it’s own,” Ford said. “It's people that help spread it. So when we stop moving, when we limit contact with one another, the deadly reach of this virus slows down.”
Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 is required to self-isolate for two weeks and any individual who may be in contact with someone who tests positive should also self-isolate.
In order to prepare for a possible surge, the Ontario government is investing $50 million for the Ontario Together Fund to assist the industrial sector to retool production for the manufacture of ventilators and personal protective equipment for frontline health care workers.
“This will be available to companies and organizations across the province and will provide immediate support to retool and build capacity as quickly as possible,” said Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation, and Trade Vic Fedeli.
Ford referenced businesses such as distilleries producing hand sanitizer and 3D printing companies producing face shields for frontline medical staff. Ford added the province has placed an order with O-Two Medical Technologies to produce 10,000 ventilators.
“I believe we will make what we need right here in Ontario,” Ford said. “And then we are going to focus our industrial powerhouse to fighting the virus across the country.”
There are currently 2,392 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the province and government officials are warning of a possible surge, though were not able to provide any detailed numbers of how many cases could be on the horizon.
“There are a number of different models out there being used by different groups,” said Minister of Health Christine Elliott. “The next several weeks are going to be critical for us if we are going to be able to flatten the curve and not have a tremendous increase of cases and unfortunately deaths.”
“Those models can drastically change,” Ford added. “The facts are very clear, we are going through turbulent waters.”
“It is a race against this virus and making sure we have the ventilators and the PPEs we need for the frontline workers. We want people to understand how serious this is.”
Last month the province declared a state of emergency and ordered all non-essential businesses to close to the public.
Ford said the list of what is deemed essential is under review on a daily basis and could be adjusted in the coming days.