Province plans to extend emergency orders until June 30

The motion to extend the orders will be debated at Queen's Park on Tuesday

Except for takeout or delivery, bars and restaurants in the province will remain closed at least until the end of the month as the Ontario government plans to extend emergency orders.

A motion will be debated at Queen’s Park on Tuesday to extend the orders until June 30.

The emergency orders include the closure of many businesses, such as bars and restaurants that don’t offer takeover or delivery, and a ban on gatherings larger than five people.

A state of emergency was declared in the province by Premier Ford on March 17 to stem the spread of COVID-19 and it has been renewed several times.

Many businesses, including retail stores with street entrances, were allowed to reopen last month, which was Stage 1 of Ontario’s plan to get the economy rolling again.

Health Minister Christine Elliot was quick to dampen hopes that Stage 2 is just around the corner. She said Ontario “still has some distance to go.”

“We need to take a careful and measured approach to any further opening up of the economy,” Elliot said on Monday.

Elliott said the province will consider easing restrictions if new cases of the virus continue to decline and if there is sufficient capacity in Ontario’s hospitals.

The number of new COVID-19 cases in the province jumped above 400 on Sunday for the first time in nearly a week after hovering in the 300 range.

Health officials said the two places where the virus is most concentrated are Toronto and Peel Region.

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