A total of 210 people have died of COVID-19 in Toronto, with more than half of the deaths in long-term care homes, the city's medical officer of health said on Wednesday.

Dr. Eileen de Villa told reporters that 290 people are in hospital, while 106 are in intensive care units. The number of dead in Toronto is 20 more than reported on Monday.

Toronto has 4,069 cases, with 3,685 confirmed and 384 probable ones. A total of 243 people have recovered.

At a news conference at city hall, De Villa expressed condolences to Toronto residents who have lost family members. She said the number of people who have died in long-term care homes is "very concerning."

"Our thoughts are with everyone who has lost loved ones, as well as those recovering from this virus," De Villa said.

The medical officer of health urged Toronto residents to continue staying at home as much as possible and practising physical distancing, saying the city cannot lift restrictions just yet because the pandemic is continuing.

"In order to get to the point where we can go back to enjoying our city with our friends, our families and our loved ones, we need to stay the course," she said.

"Please be assured that when the time is right we will begin easing some of our public health and physical distancing measures," de Villa continued.

She added: "At this time, we are not yet in a position to be to be easing up on public health measures on a large scale. We need to see better control over the virus in our community before we can take these steps.

"When the time comes, we will need to strike a delicate balance between easing up on measures for our broader community, while keeping the residents of our long-term care homes and other vulnerable residents in our city safe."

She said it will require "significant work" across the city to ensure people and organizations can effectively maintain physical distancing when measures ease.

City to close High Park during bloom of cherry blossoms

The latest pandemic numbers were reported after Mayor John Tory laid out city plans to close High Park when its famed cherry blossoms are in bloom.

Mayor John Tory has announced that High Park will close when its famed cherry trees are in bloom. Physical distancing isn't possible when people crowd into the park to see the cherry blossoms, he said. 1:52

Tory said the city is working on a "virtual walk-through" of the High Park cherry blossoms that will be posted on different platforms and residents will be able to enjoy the flowers through livestream events and videos.

"We know that maintaining physical distancing is simply not possible with the size of crowds that come through High Park every year to see the blossoms. For this reason, the city has made the difficult decision, based entirely on the advice of our public health professionals, to close the park for the duration of the bloom period for the health and safety of residents and park visitors," Tory said.

High Park will be closed during the pre-bloom and peak-bloom time periods because it would be impossible for people to maintain physical distancing, he said. Signs will be set up and barriers put in place, he added.

Park to be reopened after bloom ends

The actual dates that the park will be closed, however, depend on the weather and will be announced when the bloom period is known. Tory added the park will be open as soon as the bloom period is over.

Hundreds of people enjoy High Park cherry blossoms in bloom in Toronto in 2019. (James Morrison-Collalto/CBC)

"It is absolutely essential that we do not have large crowd scenes at High Park, crowd scenes which could lead to the spread of the COVID-19 virus and undo the good work that we collectively have done over these past few weeks," Tory said.

Tory said he knows some people will be critical of the closure, but he added the measures implemented by the city are slowing the spread of the virus.

"This is not a feel-good exercise. It is about difficult, sometimes unpopular, decisions that are about keeping people healthy, saving lives and getting this whole thing over with as soon as possible."

Every year, thousands visit High Park to view the cherry trees. The blossoms usually last between four and 10 days, depending on the weather. The peak usually happens in late April to early May.

"I really hope, especially in light of the reason for the closure and given the abundant advance notice that we are giving, that people will in fact stay home as our medical officer of health has advised repeatedly," Tory said.

High Park is home to hundreds of cherry trees, many of which were planted 60 years ago. 'Sakura trees, also known as cherry blossom trees, are known for their elegance and beauty,' High Park Toronto says on its website. (James Morrison-Collalto/CBC)

Tory noted that closures of park areas where there are cherry blossoms have occurred already in Japan, Korea, Europe and Washington D.C. due to COVID-19.

"We know this is not the right time to be gathering," Tory said.

Fines for defying High Park ban as high as $5K

City bylaw officers and the Toronto police will enforce the closure. Tory said the general manager of parks, forestry and recreation has the authority to close a park in the interests of public safety. People who fail to comply can be fined $750, if a ticket is paid voluntarily, but the maximum fine can be $5,000.

Tory said a partial closure is not possible or practical because of the number of blossoming cherry trees throughout the park, its size and layout.

"Health and parks staff believe this is the best plan to discourage gathering and protect public health," the city said in a news release on Wednesday.

High Park cherry blossoms in bloom in 2019. City officials are urging the public to continue practising physical distancing and will block access to High Park to stop people from congregating there to view its famed cherry blossoms. (James Morrison-Collalto/CBC)

Fencing will enclose the cherry blossom area at Trinity Bellwoods Park and the city's enforcement team will patrol the area.

High Park is already closed to traffic. The city closed roads through the park when it shut down park amenities.

City launches online support centre for businesses

Tory also announced that the city has launched the BusinessTO Support Centre to provide online support to Toronto businesses during the pandemic.

The centre will help businesses apply for government support programs such as:

Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy program.

Canada's Work-Sharing program.

Canada's Emergency Business Account program.

The centre will also offer a weekly webinar series to provide information on these government programs and their requirements. And it will let businesses about how they can support the City's COVID-19 response.

All sectors, including not-for-profit, cultural, manufacturing, technology, retail, hospitality, tourism, main street businesses and consulting services, can use the online centre.

