Name: One-third of Toronto’s community outbreaks related to bars and restaurants, says new COVID-19 data
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One-third of Toronto’s community outbreaks related to bars and restaurants, says new COVID-19 data

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close This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. To orderpresentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distributionto colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire aboutpermissions/licensing, please go to: Of the 80 current community outbreaks of in the city, 27 of them are related to bars and restaurants, the Star has learned.The latest data from Toronto Public Health, current to Oct. 7, shows that bars and restaurants in Toronto remain responsible for a significant number of outbreaks — 34 per cent — at a time when the city’s top doctor has urged the province to intervene to reduce virus spread, including prohibiting indoor dining. Previously, TPH had linked 44 per cent of outbreaks between Sept. 20 and 26 to bars, restaurants and entertainment venues. Of those, 18 were restaurants and bars, one was a nightclub and one was an adult entertainment club, the public health unit clarified Thursday.The data TPH released Thursday doesn’t include outbreaks in schools or congregate settings like long-term-care homes.Though health experts say time is of the essence to take measures to prevent exponential growth in new cases, the city and province still can’t agree publicly on whose responsibility that is.Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Mayor said lawyers for both governments had met and agreed the province is in a better position to prohibit indoor dining, group gym classes and unnecessary trips outside the home as recommended by Dr. Eileen de Villa, Toronto’s medical officer of health.“Our people came out of that meeting with the recognition having been extended on the part of the provincial people that the powers the city had were not as broad as had been suggested publicly earlier on, and that the most efficient, broad-reaching powers to do things in the interest of public health and to stop the spread of COVID-19 rested with the province of Ontario,” he said.De Villa has said she could be held personally liable for taking her recommended actions herself, and that such broad measures have not been attempted by other local officers of health.But responding to a series of questions from the Star on Thursday, Premier Doug Ford’s government outlined why it believes the city can impose these measures itself.“Medical officers of health have the authority to issue individual or class orders under Section 22 of the Health Protection and Promotion Act where the legal test is met, which could include the closure of businesses like bars and restaurants,” said the emailed statement from Carly Luis, spokesperson for Minister of Health Christine Elliott. “There are multiple examples of medical officers of health doing so, including when Dr. de Villa ordered mandatory home quarantine for people with COVID-19, and anyone who has had close contact with someone infected.”The latest back-and-forth comes nearly seven days after de Villa made her request. The Star that a modelling study published in May in the journal Nature looked at how effective measures were, based on the timing they were implemented. When China had 114,325 cases on Feb. 29, intervening a week earlier could have meant a 66 per cent cut in cases, the authors estimated. Delaying action by even a week would have seen cases triple, they wrote.Meanwhile, the Star reported Oct. 6 that approximately two-thirds of the city had a test-positivity rate higher than three per cent, which TPH considers a key threshold for measuring whether the virus could overwhelm hospital and public health capacity. Already de Villa has said they are unable to keep up with contact tracing — an important tool for tackling the spread of the virus — at the city’s current, growing case count.The province did not directly respond to the Star’s question about whether it would be willing to provide legal indemnification to de Villa to act herself or whether, despite Ford referencing a few “bad actors,” if they have seen specific information suggesting that restaurant operators acting outside the rules are alone to blame for recent outbreaks.According to TPH, investigations into bars and restaurants revealed varying adherence to public health rules, ranging from some that needed education on proper signage to physical distancing issues to requiring closure for transmission risk.TPH also said, despite an earlier claim by Ford that the outbreaks had largely impacted staff, that case counts included both staff and patrons.Dr. Vinita Dubey, Toronto’s associate medical officer of health, said in a statement that those investigations are “incredibly resource intensive” and that bars and restaurants have large volumes of contacts to trace — some with more than 500 contacts and one with 1,700 patrons to reach.Tory, faced with questions this week about whether the province is acting in good faith, has remained publicly optimistic.“The discussion about the medical officer of health’s request are still under active discussion,” he said Thursday, saying there has been no communication about what the province plans to do.But an email from the province to the Star Thursday made the clearest statement yet that it has no intention of acting on the de Villa’s request soon.“Recognizing the devastating impacts of shutdowns on small business owners, our government will exhaust every avenue to stop the spread of COVID-19 before implementing wholesale restrictions that would put countless restaurants out of business,” the statement said. “This includes increasing labour inspections to educate business owners on how to operate in a way that stops the spread of the virus, while taking more severe action against bad actors.”Despite that, Tory said as recently as Wednesday the province had requested — and the city had provided — additional data after Ford said it lacked information to do what de Villa was asking.Coun. Joe Cressy, who chairs the city’s board of health, said he remains hopeful the province will act and that he wants to see the “critical measures implemented immediately.”“We are in the midst of an escalating second wave. If we are going to save lives, protect hospitals, keep schools open, and prevent a more severe lockdown later, there is an urgent need for action now.”JOIN THE CONVERSATION Q:What do you think the city or province need to do? Share your thoughts.Anyone can read Conversations, but to contribute, you should be registered Torstar account holder. If you do not yet have a Torstar account, you can create one now (it is free)Sign InRegisterConversations are opinions of our readers and are subject to the . The Star does not endorse these opinions.Copyright owned or licensed by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. Allrights reserved. 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close This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. To orderpresentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distributionto colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire aboutpermissions/licensing, please go to: Of the 80 current community outbreaks of in the city, 27 of them are related to bars and restaurants, the Star has learned.The latest data from Toronto Public Health, current to Oct. 7, shows that bars and restaurants in Toronto remain responsible for a significant number of outbreaks — 34 per cent — at a time when the city’s top doctor has urged the province to...

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One-third of Toronto’s community outbreaks related to bars and restaurants, says new COVID-19 data

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