Ontario doctors urging Province extend lockdown set to expire in late May

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Published May 12, 2021 at 10:22 pm

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Ontario’s doctors are calling on the Province to extend the Ontario-wide lockdown, which is scheduled to expire on May 20.

With more than 2,000 residents still testing positive for COVID-19 every day, the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) believes the current lockdown needs to be extended in order to protect Ontario’s already-burdened health care system.

However, while the OMA is urging an extension of the lockdown, they’re also encouraging the Province to reopen certain outdoor amenities that have been closed—such as golf courses, basketball courts, and tennis courts—in order to help improve residents’ physical and mental health.

“This needs to be done safely and with clear guidelines around when to wear masks and how many people can gather to avoid large COVID-spreading events on the May 24 long weekend,” reads a statement from the OMA.

With Toronto and Peel Region having been in lockdown for nearly six consecutive months, many are beginning to become incensed with the constant restrictions, but the OMA is concerned reopening too soon will just result in another lockdown in the near future.

“We all want the third wave to be the last wave,” Samantha Hill, president of the OMA, said in a news release.

“We’re just not ready yet to reopen. No one wants to start lifting restrictions too soon, only to find the virus spreading again and we have to go back into lockdown,” she continued.

Further, the OMA suggests continuing the current lockdown will allow Ontarians to enjoy fewer restrictions during the summer months.

While they haven’t suggested a timeframe for the extension of this lockdown, the OMA suggests it will largely depend on the province’s vaccination rates.

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