Daily COVID-19 Update - May 14, 2020
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The following are the latest updates available relating to COVID-19 for May 14, 2020
Beginning of Stage 1 of Reopening
The Ontario government announced several businesses who will be permitted to open or expand their services on Tuesday, May 19, 2020, provided that the general trend on health indicators continues to improve as part of the first stage of the government's reopening framework.
Certain businesses such as golf courses, marinas, private parks and campgrounds and businesses that board animals will be able to open as of Saturday May 16, 2020.
Retail services that are not in shopping malls and have separate street-front entrances will be permitted to reopen with measures in place that can enable physical distancing, such as limiting the number of customers in the store at any one time and booking appointments beforehand or on the spot.
Businesses that will be able to reopen as of May 19, 2020 include:
- Seasonal businesses and recreational activities for individual or single competitors, including training and sport competitions conducted by a recognized national or provincial sport organization. This includes indoor and outdoor non-team sport competitions that can be played while maintaining physical distancing and without spectators, such as tennis, track and field and horse racing.
- Animal services, specifically pet care services, such as grooming and training, and regular veterinary appointments.
- Indoor and outdoor household services that can follow public health guidelines, such as housekeepers, cooks, cleaning and maintenance.
- Lifting essential workplace limits on construction.
- Allowing certain health and medical services to resume, such as in-person counselling and scheduled surgeries based on the ability to meet pre-specified conditions as outlined in A Measured Approach to Planning for Surgeries and ProceduresDuring the COVID-19 Pandemic , as well as resuming professional services such as shifting Children's Treatment Centres from virtual to in-person.
Any information about the impact of the various stages of reopening the province will come directly from the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario (CMTO). We are working closely with the CMTO as they develop detailed requirements and guidelines for RMTs to follow once they are able to return to work.
Read the full outline of Stage 1 of the Framework to Reopen the Province
Workplace PPE Supplier Directory
As people gradually begin to return to work in the coming weeks, the Government of Ontario has launched a website to provide businesses with information on personal protective equipment (PPE) suppliers.
The Workplace PPE Supplier Directory has an up-to-date list of Ontario companies and business associations that are ready to supply personal protective equipment.
RMTAO Advocacy Letter
Once RMTs are able to return to work, the access to adequate and appropriate PPE is a significant concern. Both the financial burden as well as the difficulty in finding adequate supplies of appropriate PPE are of concern to RMTs.
The RMTAO has written to both the federal and provincial governments advocating for financial support and help to access appropriate PPE so that RMTs are able to reopen safely once public health officials determine it is safe to do so.
RMTAO Letter to the Prime Minister RE Financial Assistance for PPE