

Chris Fox, CP24.com





Mayor John Tory says that the city is now at a “turning point” and that residents and businesses are either going to have to strictly adhere to social distancing guidelines or governments are going to have to step in with new measures that reinforce “how serious this is.”

Tory made the comment during a Skype interview from his home on Monday morning, where he will remain in isolation for another three days following a return from a business trip abroad.

The comment comes ahead of a 12:30 p.m. announcement from Premier Doug Ford. It is unclear what that announcement will pertain to at this point.

“I want to make something perfectly clear. I will support any government at any level, provincial or federal, that decides to take additional steps to make sure that people do what they are supposed to be doing, what common sense tells them and what science tell them and that is to stay home, to minimize trips outside of the home and to minimize their interaction with other people,” he said. “If people don’t get this message, and there are always some who don’t, then they are going to contribute to the spreading of this virus, to the loss of life, to further damage to the economy and to more unemployment lasting longer, all things we don’t want.”

The province has already ordered the closure of all bars, nightclub and restaurants that don’t serve takeout along with a host of recreational and entertainment venues.

Public health officials in Toronto and elsewhere have also called on all non-essential businesses to close in order to help limit the spread of COVID-19; however the provincial government has not issued any orders to that effect at this point.

Speaking with CP24, Tory conceded that the city has limited legislative authority to force people and businesses to comply with social distancing guidelines but he said that he would be in support of “reasonable actions” by other level of government in order to help limit the spread of COVID-19.

Tory did not specify what of actions he would like to see taken.

So far, governors in several U.S. states have issued shelter in places orders to limit non-esential travel and in Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil has banned all gatherings of five or more people and has instituted a requirement for anyone returning from outside the province to self-isolate for 14 days.

“I will support governments that take reasonable actions because right now I think we are at kind of a turning point where we either need to get people to get in line and do what they know is right and that includes business or I think governments are going to have to give a further indication of just how serious this is and I encourage them to continue to look at that,” Tory said.

‘It is not about being anti-social, it is about being anti-virus’

As the COVID-19 outbreak continues to worsen locally with the city recording its first death on Sunday, Tory says that he does have a “feeling we may have to do more to enforce behavior on some people who just don’t get it.”

He said that he also wants to impress upon residents the need to ramp up their social distancing efforts, even if they have already been doing their best to stay at home and limit interactions with others.

“Please we need people to have even further cooperation in staying home - not going to work, not going out shopping more than you need to, not going to places where you see a crowd of other people,” he said. “Frankly if you see your neighbour across the street wave at them but don’t go over and talk to them. That is the level of adherence we need to the social distancing in order to break the back of this and in order to avoid further steps being taken by governments to keep people apart so that this virus won’t spread. It is not about being anti-social; it is about being anti-virus and beating this thing so that we can get this city back going again and give the city a sense of hope.”