Province extends stay-at-home order to early June

DAN CEARNS, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, for The Standard

DURHAM/KAWARTHA LAKES: The Ontario government has decided to extend the stay-at-home order for another couple of weeks. The decision was announced at a press conference on Thursday, May 13th.

“The situation is slowly trending in a better direction. Make no mistake; we’re not out of the woods yet. Our hospitals are still under immense pressure. The spread of variants remains a major concern. So we must stay vigilant; we must keep doing what we are doing and what’s working,” Premier Doug Ford explained.

The order, which has been in place since Thursday, April 8th, will not expire until June 2nd.

“I know we’re all eager to get back to some sense of normal, but at a time when contagious variants cause real risk to our province, we can’t rush to reopen [the province],” Premier Ford said.

Under the order, the only reasons people can leave their homes is if they are “going to the grocery store or pharmacy, accessing health care services (including getting vaccinated), [going out] for outdoor exercise, or for work [which] cannot be done remotely.”

In a statement, Solicitor General Sylvia Jones called the extension of the stay-at-home order “essential to protect our communities, reduce the spread of the virus and save lives.”

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