Ban indoor dining, leave home only for essential trips, says Toronto’s top doctor as COVID-19 cases soar

Toronto’s top doctor is asking the province to temporarily restore a ban on dining indoors at restaurants and bars and on indoor team sports and fitness classes in an effort to stem the exponential growth of in the city.

Toronto had 311 new COVID-19 infections on Friday, Dr. Eileen de Villa told a press conference at city hall, where she outlined her case for a month-long return to more restrictive measures.

Nearly half of 45 recent community outbreaks in the city originated in bars and restaurants, according to data from Toronto Public Health. De Villa said businesses could continue to serve patrons outdoors and through takeout and delivery, avoiding the complete closure that wreaked financial havoc on the local economy in the spring.

“Total lockdown is not what we’re advocating here,” she said.

She also urged residents to stay home as much as possible, going out only for essential trips including work, school, exercise, health-care appointments and to buy food.

De Villa said returning to more restrictive practices was always part of the plan in the event of a resurgence, adding that as the virus moves rapidly, so should policy.

“Days actually make a world of difference and from a professional perspective; it’s my responsibility to make sure that we adjust and change our approach premised on this information that we see. Even when that information changes at wartime speed,” she said.

The seven-day moving average of COVID-19 cases in Toronto was 40 on Sept. 1. It more than doubled, to 84, by Sept. 17. On Sept. 29, it had increased nearly sixfold, to 236.

There are currently 169 active outbreaks in Toronto, including those in the community, in congregate settings, schools, child-care centres, workplaces and long-term-care homes. In the last three weeks, outbreaks in long-term-care homes have increased to nine from two.

A recent incident at Yonge Street Warehouse, a downtown pub, created 1,700 exposures and one at Regulars Bar created 600 exposures.

Mayor John Tory said the rapidly rising infection numbers are cause for alarm.

“The virus is approaching a tipping point, where it will rage through our population and put seniors in our long-term-care homes and kids in school at risk,” he said.

“We have always known a resurgence could come and that further public health measures could be needed in order to combat the virus.”

A spokesperson for Ontario restaurant and bar operators said they are disappointed by the idea of renewed restrictions and fear a return to total lockdown.

“We as an industry still feel a room that is managed with good protocols has better control and safety than people at private parties,” said Tony Elenis, president of the Ontario Restaurant, Hotel and Motel Association.

To allow for safe reopening of schools, it is recommended that communities keep new case counts to no more than one case per 100,000 population per day, according to de Villa. Currently in Toronto, the number is at eight cases per 100,000 population per day, according to the text of the letter she sent to Dr. David Williams, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health.

De Villa said TPH has been monitoring trends and effective public health measures in other comparable jurisdictions. She pointed to Melbourne, Australia, with a metropolitan-area population similar to Toronto, where strict public health measures were implemented when daily case counts were lower than the counts in Toronto today.

De Villa said she sought legal advice and the conclusion was that she does not have the authority to enact the restrictions she is recommending, which is why she is calling on Williams to use his legislative powers.

Her other recommendations include tighter management of large venues. She would like to require large venues to submit plans to TPH, demonstrating how they will ensure physical distancing and collection of contact information.

“Without quick action from the Province to implement further public health measures, there is a serious risk that the city will not be able to prevent the health and economic impact resulting from this surge, particularly with the imminent change in season,” she wrote to Williams. “Based on the experiences of other jurisdictions, smaller scale policy changes will not be enough to stop virus transmission and large-scale action is needed.”

Responding to reporters on Friday, Williams said he spoke with de Villa about her letter but noted they aren’t seeing the same trends throughout the province — which makes enacting province-wide legislation difficult.

Hot zones generally account for 70-80 per cent of new cases, with Toronto alone accounting for as many as half, Williams noted.

He said the province has asked for more data, but did not commit to acting on de Villa’s letter.

With files from Jennifer Pagliaro and David Rider

Francine Kopun is a Toronto-based reporter covering city hall and municipal politics for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: