Police in Ontario Balk with new powers under the emergency law against viruses

Photographer: Cole Burston / Bloomberg

Ontario Prime Minister Doug Ford said he had no choice but to impose some of the toughest restrictions in North America to curb a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases. Some police forces have backed down.

It was the largest province in Canada new measures Friday as part of an emergency home order, motivated by a jump in severe virus cases. The Ford government gave police extraordinary powers to stop vehicles and individuals, to wonder why they are not at home.

But police in Toronto, Waterloo and other cities issued statements quickly saying they would not conduct random checks. And on Saturday the government backed down, saying power will only apply when police suspect people are participating in a rally or event.

In the country’s capital, the Ottawa Police Service he said Friday at the end that he will not carry out random shutdowns and that he does not want his powers to affect public confidence. But it will be linked to the establishment of checkpoints on bridges between Ontario and neighboring Quebec, after the Ford government announced new restrictions for travelers from other provinces. People will be allowed to cross the provincial border to work.

The first in Ontario it banned almost all public outdoor meetings, closed golf and tennis courts and closed some works. The government said it would close the playgrounds and then reversed that edict on Saturday.

The new rules are in addition to previous decisions to close non-essential schools and retailers. In some parts of the province, including Toronto, hairdressing salons and restaurant dining halls have been closed for several months.

“My friends, we are losing the battle between variants and vaccines,” Ford told a news conference Friday after reporting 4,812 new cases in 24 hours, a record. “The reality is that there are few options left.” Currently, the province has 2,065 patients hospitalized with the virus, 726 of whom are in intensive care units.

Ford’s new measures have divided opinion in the province of 14.7 million people. Some say his government should have repressed earlier and acted to reduce activity in warehouses, factories and other jobs, which they have seen dozens of virus outbreaks. Others argue that the restrictions go too far, curbing civil liberties in the face of evidence than most outdoor activity is safe.

Covid It claims 3 million lives when the burden shifts to the poorest nations

Canada has experienced a shortage of vaccines, hampering the country’s efforts to contain a third wave of the virus. Approximately 22% of Canadians have received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine compared to 39% in the United States and 49% in the United Kingdom, according to the Bloomberg vaccine tracker.

This week, Canada passed the United States for the first time in the number of new cases of Covid-19 per capita. In Ontario, with the exception of emergencies, surgeries must be canceled in most of the province, as intensive care units focus on treating Covid-19 patients.

(Update the third and fifth paragraphs to reflect the changes made to the Saturday rules)