Mayor John Tory says he hopes to open gyms after 28-day restrictions lift; Toronto reports 321 new COVID-19 cases

Mayor John Tory said Wednesday that he would like to see businesses reopen at the end of the most recent 28-day round of local public health restrictions.

“I will admit that I have a bias to a plan that can have doors open safely in as many places as possible,” said Tory, speaking at a COVID-19 press conference at Toronto city hall.

He said he is thinking of public health not just in terms of COVID-19, but in terms of other health indicators.

“If people are out of work, they can’t feed their family or themselves properly, they may not be able to pay their rent and might’ve lost their housing — they’re going to have mental health issues by virtue of the fact that they’re in crisis,” he said.

Tory made his remarks as Canada marked a grim milestone — 10,000 people across the country have died since the virus first landed here, likely in January. The first death in Canada was recorded in March.

Dr. Eileen de Villa, Toronto’s medical officer of health, reported 321 new cases in the city on Wednesday, with 140 people hospitalized and 37 in ICU. Over the weekend, Ontario broke records for new infections, surpassing 1,000 cases in one day for the first time since the outbreak began.

A second COVID wave is also swamping Europe, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel saying Wednesday that health authorities have lost track of the virus, triggering a month-long partial lockdown that will see bars and restaurants close beginning Monday.

Toronto was returned to a modified Stage 2 on Oct. 10 in an attempt to control a growing resurgence of the virus, closing gyms and banning indoor dining, but the number of new infections has continued to climb in the city. Health officials have pointed to Thanksgiving gatherings as a possible cause.

Tory added that he thinks there could be a way to have gyms reopen at the end of the 28-day period, subject to certain conditions.

He said people want to stay fit, and need to stay fit to deal with the stress of the pandemic, and as the weather grows colder, will increasingly be looking for ways to work out indoors.

Tory said the pandemic has been devastating to local businesses, some of which have been forced to shut down more than once.

“Independent businesses that have been around for some period of time are used to recessions, where you lose a percentage of your sales and some of your activity is curtailed because of an economic slowdown,” said Tory. “What nobody has ever experienced in our lifetime I don’t think, is a complete cessation of business.”

He said businesses that haven’t failed are facing serious liquidity problems, and have had to lay off staff.

“It has caused untold anguish and damage to the economy. You just have to hope — just like grass that sometimes will die — that there’s a way in which it can come back, if you water and care for it, and if we get some break on the health side.”

Francine Kopun is a Toronto-based reporter covering city hall and municipal politics for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: