Ontario will release reopening plan ‘very soon’ says health minister

Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott said Tuesday that a plan to reopen the province will be released soon, noting that she’s been working with the chief medical officer of health and medical experts on a “safe and careful reopening of Ontario.”

Pressed more details by 680 NEWS on when the plan will be released, Elliott said, “I can’t give you anymore details on that but it will be very soon.”

“It will also be sector specific, looking at (when) different types of sectors could perhaps be reopened and what their specific needs and timelines are.”

Ontario won’t be returning to the colour-coded framework once the stay-at-home order ends, Premier Doug Ford’s office confirmed to 680 NEWS.

The province of Quebec is expected to announce its reopening plan later Tuesday which the province’s Premier has indicated will be loosely based on Saskatchewan’s reopening plan.

Saskatchewan intends to reopen almost all activities by mid-July.

In Ontario, Chief Medical Officer, Dr. David Williams, has previously said that he would like to see daily case counts “well below 1,000” before restrictions are lifted. Ontario reported 1,616 cases on Tuesday.

NDP leader Andrea Horwath expressed concern about the delay in releasing the reopening plan and concerns that the government won’t listen to the expert advice provided to them

“What I really want to make sure happens this time is that the government has learned its lesson and that it listens to the experts in developing that plan and listens to the experts in terms of the reopening,” she said. “We can’t make the same mistakes again.”