Yesterday, Premier Doug Ford, announced that the COVID Stay-at-Home Order would be extended in Toronto until at least March 9, 2021. This apparently comes at the request of City officials.

A statement issued by the City, last Monday said:

“Today, Mayor John Tory, Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eileen de Villa, and Fire Chief and General Manager of the Office of Emergency Management, Matthew Pegg announced the City is requesting that Toronto remain in the Shutdown Zone… until March 9 at the earliest in order to protect the healthcare system and save lives.”

“The requests stems from significant concern around the new COVID-19 variants of concern (VOC) that are appearing in settings across Toronto. Variants have now been identified in long-term care homes, hospitals, a shelter and a meat packing plant”.

The Stay-at-Home Orders were set to expire this coming Monday, February 22,2021.

This has had a severe effect on Toronto businesses with many going out of business due the lockdown and others having to lay off staff. The other day, I had a meeting with my financial planner in downtown Toronto and it was like a ghost town. Usually, we’d meet in his office located in one of the busy office towers in the Financial District but we couldn’t do that because of the lockdown. So we agreed to meet at a Starbuck’s in the usually bustling PATH area below the TD Canada Trust Tower. For anyone who isn’t familiar with Toronto, the PATH is a network of shops, restaurants, retailers and other businesses in the concourse below the downtown office towers above, that runs for 17 km. Thousands of people are employed there. But on this day, the PATH was deserted. Everything was closed except for a Starbucks, with 2 workers, and a couple of other take-out restaurants. So we ordered or mocha lattes and left but couldn’t sit down anywhere to drink them because everything was taped off.

Although I enjoy cooking at home, I’ve been trying to do my bit to support local businesses in my neighbourhood by ordering take-out a coupe of times a week. Even then, I’ve notice when I walk by restaurants that I used to frequent, have closed up and “For Lease” signs appear in the window. I don’t think the landlord will be getting a new tenant anytime soon.

The Stay-at-Home Order has been extended until

    at least

March 9, 2021, leaving the possibility that it may be extended even further.