Ontario may need to restore capacity limits, restrictions: Head of science table

Ontarians don’t need to panic, but some finetuning to current pandemic restrictions is necessary to curb a recent rise in infections — so says the head of the province’s science advisory table.

Dr. Peter Juni says rolling back some of the recent decisions on capacity limits and reconsidering individual behaviour could be all it takes to change the trajectory and once again achieve a stable case count.

When it comes to rolling back capacity limits, Dr. Juni says the province should be ready to adapt quickly, but he says implementing restrictions can be left to local health units for now.

“This may be more of a local decision depending on where you are in the province,” said Juni. “The province needs to keep an open mind and we need to be ready to have a difficult discussion on a provincewide level.”

Health Minister Christine Elliott admits new restrictions across the province are possible — but agrees they will likely come on a local basis first, saying the province will stay the course for now.

“Dr. Moore still feels very strongly that the system is ready to deal with some increases to cases as the weather turns colder and more people are indoors,” said Elliott.

Health officials in Sudbury announced Monday they would be reintroducing capacity limits, require masking at organized public events and require proof of vaccination for youth sports amid a “record number” of virus outbreaks and an “alarming” surge that isn’t tied to any particular setting.

Mayor John Tory was asked Tuesday if the City of Toronto has any plans to reintroduce capacity limits — while he didn’t speak about specific plans he says officials continue to monitor the numbers.

“As these kinds of things change and as we continue to adjust through large sporting events, through increased capacity that was brought in for restaurants, we’re constantly monitoring these numbers on a daily basis,” said Tory.

RELATED:

• Toronto ICU doctor calls on Ford to reverse ‘bad decision’ on vaccine mandate for hospital workers

• Ontarians 70+, AstraZeneca recipients can start booking COVID-19 boosters

Dr. Juni says the province is still a long way from the challenging times experienced during previous waves of the pandemic. Hospital and ICU numbers still remain relatively low compared to the peak of the second and third waves.

Hospitalizations climbed to over 2,000 in April and COVID patients in the ICU surpassed 800. There are currently 134 patients in Ontario’s ICU units, slightly up from yesterday.

Dr. Juni attributes the growth in cases to three things — cooler weather, the lifting of capacity limits and the relaxed behaviour of individuals. He is encouraging individuals to consider adjusting there behaviour to pre-Thanksgiving.

“We don’t have to do that much thanks to the vaccine rollout, but we need to do something about it,” said Juni. ‘We need to be very stringent with the different measures we have and in certain situations get back to where we were before Thanksgiving.”

He says the best course of action is to make adjustments now instead of waiting for more growth, estimating daily case counts could reach 2,000 in five weeks if nothing is done.

“Sooner or later we probably need to start,” said Juni, when asked if the holidays could be in jeopardy if no new measures are put into effect. “If you need proof of concept, have a look at Alberta, how it looked a few weeks ago.”

He encourages people to ensure they are wearing masks at larger events, avoid crowded restaurants and limit their indoor contact with people from other households.

Ontario reported 441 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday. The seven-day average of daily infections now sits at 492 cases, up 121 cases from one week ago.

Capacity limits were lifted on Oct. 25 for places that require proof of vaccination. These include restaurants and bars, indoor sports and recreation facilities, bingo halls and gaming establishments.

The province announced last month that it intends to lift all public health and workplace safety measures by March 28, 2022. However, the full reopening would be gradual and come in several stages.

By Nov. 15, the province plans to lift capacity limits in food or drink establishments with dance facilities — such as night clubs and wedding receptions in meeting/event spaces where there is dancing — strip clubs, bathhouses and sex clubs.

Ontario also lifted all capacity limits for outdoor organized public events, including memorial services, parades, fairs, rural exhibitions and festivals. If physical distancing is not possible, then masks must still be worn. Outdoor social gatherings are still limited to 100 people.