Toronto’s medical officer of health is asking restaurants to move to takeout and delivery only, and for all bars, nightclubs and theatres to close.

Dr. Eileen de Villa warned closures could be ordered for establishments that defied her recommendation Monday under the Health Protection and Promotion Act. She asked those businesses to close “as soon as possible” and no later than Tuesday.

“Every opportunity to avoid interactions with others helps to prevent the spread of disease,” she said at a briefing at city hall on Monday. She acknowledged the recommendations would result in “significant adjustments to our daily lives” and challenges for businesses, and said she didn’t make them lightly.

“I am calling on our city to rise to this challenge to reduce the spread of this virus. We know that these measures that I’m recommending today work based on the experiences of other jurisdictions,” she said. “I am asking for everyone in our city to take these recommendations seriously and make every possible effort to practise social distancing. I cannot overemphasize how important this is, particularly at this critical time.”

A sombre de Villa announced the new measures along with news that Toronto has recorded its first “community transmission” — three people with COVID-19 whose infection cannot be traced to recent travel or close contact with somebody who was abroad.

Investigations continue to identify the source of those infections, which signal a new stage in the outbreak.

De Villa’s recommendations echoed those made by Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. David Williams, who also recommended daycares close and gatherings be limited to 50 people or less during the COVID-19 pandemic.

All primary and secondary schools have already been closed until April 6 and Williams said all private schools should also do the same, along with “all churches and other faith settings,” and theatres.

“If you can, we’re asking you to work from home,” he added, noting take-out services from restaurants remain valuable — both to help the businesses stay afloat and for people who are in self isolation.

Some restaurateurs had already closed their businesses before being urged to do so.

Jen Agg, owner of popular restaurants Grey Gardens, Bar Vendetta, Le Swan and Rhum Corner, said she “cannot imagine something more irresponsible than keeping your bar or restaurant open right now other than going to bars and restaurants.”

Agg, who voluntarily shut her restaurants Sunday, said on Twitter that she was “very disappointed” the government had not mandated that.

“We are shutting it all down until it’s safe to be open as it’s clearly not safe (right now). Not just the right and only choice, but the moral choice.”

She urged the government to offer financial relief to help with payroll and rent challenges.

Earlier Monday morning, Mayor John Tory told the Star in an interview from his downtown condo, where he is working in travel-triggered self-isolation, that the city was exploring powers to force Torontonians and businesses to limit group contact, while hoping mandatory action is not necessary.

Tory said city officials including himself and de Villa debate every day how best to contain the local spread of COVID-19.

Conference calls include discussion of possibly declaring a municipal state of emergency, as Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi did Sunday, to give city officials the ability to issue orders to ensure public safety.

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Calgary is forcing businesses including restaurants and bars to limit the number of patrons to either less than half their maximum allowed under that city’s fire code, or fewer than 250 people — whichever is lower.

Tory said de Villa is taking the lead in deciding how Toronto should proceed.

The mayor hopes Toronto does not have to resort to orders to get people to stay indoors and businesses to prevent physical proximity that experts warn could trigger mass infection and overwhelm health providers. Some of those experts say the threat is so grave, and window to limit spread so short, that governments should force non-essential businesses to shut.

“I believe we should continue on the path we’ve been on, which is encouraging people to act voluntarily,” Tory said, adding he is hearing of “pretty good co-operation,” citing a 40-per-cent drop in bookings for Wheel-Trans service and reports of few people in restaurants and malls.

City lawyers are involved in the discussions about possible orders Tory and de Villa could issue, the mayor said, adding questions involve what the orders could encompass and how they would be enforced.

“The question becomes if you do (issue blanket orders), what resources do you have to enforce it if there is widespread non-compliance,” Tory said. “It calls into question the credibility of the order if nobody follows it. That’s the kind of discussion we’ve been actively having — ‘How far do you go, how would you enforce it?’

“We’re on top of it.”

On the weekend Dr. Kevin Smith, chief executive of University Health Network of hospitals in Toronto, said Ontario should close non-essential businesses to enforce social distancing and prevent an epidemic that would overwhelm the province’s supply of ventilators and other resources.

At Queen’s Park, Williams said any moves to recommend non-essential businesses should close will require “further discussion” even as some retailers like Apple have been shutting their doors already.

“We’re trying to look at what are the essential ones,” he said. “Things have and are changing fairly quickly, so I’d say stay tuned.”

Other experts including Dr. David Fisman, head of epidemiology at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health, echoed the call for “aggressive” containment measures to prevent “explosive epidemics” like those ravaging countries including Italy.

“This doesn’t have to be martial law,” but governments need to act now to enforce social distancing, Fisman told CBC.

With files from Robert Benzie and Rob Ferguson

David Rider is the Star’s City Hall bureau chief and a reporter covering city hall and municipal politics. Follow him on Twitter: @dmrider

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