Doug Ford’s constituency office closed because of COVID-19 outbreak as Ontario reports 896 new cases

An open-door policy at his Albion Road constituency office led to an outbreak of COVID-19 among staff, Premier Doug Ford says.

As , three workers serving residents of Etobicoke North tested positive for the virus, forcing the closure of the office this week to operate virtually.

As Ontario reported 896 new infections and nine more deaths Friday, Ford told his daily briefing that he bucked a trend by allowing people other than staff into the office.

“A lot of MPPs, and I have no problem with that, kept their doors locked. We took a different approach,” added the premier, who was not in the office in the last two weeks and was not exposed.

“We kept them open. So we had a few visitors come in and that’s where they believe they contracted COVID…they’re doing OK, that’s the most important thing.”

The cases were confirmed by Toronto Public Health and the office shut “as soon as there was concern,” said Ford spokesperson Ivana Yelich.

“To allow for a deep cleaning, the office will be closed for the foreseeable future as services and support continue to be offered virtually. We thank the premier’s constituents for their patience.”

Ford did not mention the closure at any of his daily news conferences this week.

The office is in northwest Toronto where , and the latest statistics show public health officials have been unable to trace the source of 65 per cent of infections citywide.

Previously, a junior staffer in Ford’s offices at Queen’s Park has tested positive for the virus.

The 896 new cases across the province mark the fifth-highest daily level of the pandemic, with all five coming since Oct. 9.

That tally is down from 934 the previous day and remains in the band of 800 to 1,200 forecast daily for the next four weeks in computer models released Thursday.

“Locally, there are 314 new cases in Toronto, 173 in Peel, 115 in York Region and 92 in Ottawa,” Health Minister Christine Elliott said on Twitter of the four hot zones in modified Stage 2 restrictions with indoor dining banned and gyms and theatres closed.

Three of the nine new deaths were in nursing homes, where the number of new infections in residents more than doubled to 64 from 28 the previous day. Another 18 nursing home staff caught the virus, up from 11.

However, the number of outbreaks in Ontario’s 626 nursing homes fell to 78, a decrease of five.

Elsewhere in the GTA, Durham had 32 new cases and Halton 37, both increases from the previous day. Hamilton had 14, down from 28 reported Thursday.

The Greater Toronto-Hamilton Area accounted for 76 per cent of the new cases. Ten of the 34 public health units across Ontario had none.

There were 61 new cases in schools, with 551 of the 4,828 schools in the province reporting infections in students and staff. As has been the case all week, no schools are closed because of outbreaks.

is a Toronto-based reporter covering Ontario politics for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: