As of Sunday, Canada is reporting 1,118,163 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 87,657 considered active. A CBC News tally of deaths stood at 23,609.
And in Ontario, the province reported 4,250 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday and 18 additional deaths. Premier Doug Ford’s government walked back some of the restrictions he placed on the province Friday as government and health offiicials tried to stem the number of new cases of coronavirus.
On Friday, Ford granted law enforcement the right to require anyone not at home to explain why they’re out and provide their address. Tickets were to be written, as well as a limit on outdoor gatherings to those in the same household and the closing of playgrounds and golf courses.
But by Saturday, more than a dozen police forces across the province had said there will be no random stops of people or cars. Health experts chimed in, saying the new rules seem to focus on outdoor activities rather than more dangerous indoor settings.
“We are all going through a horrific year of COVID-19 and all associated with it together. The (department) will NOT be randomly stopping vehicles for no reason during the pandemic or afterwards,” Halton Police Chief Steve Tanner tweeted, reports WTVR.com.
CTV News Canada is reporting that in rescinding the orders, Solicitor General Sylvia Jones said in a written statement on Saturday evening that police will only be able to stop people who they have reason to believe are participating in an “organized public event or social gathering.”
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association welcomed Saturday’s reversal. “The new order rationalizes and narrows the unconstitutional Friday standard. The new standard is also tied to a public health objective, and avoids arbitrary detention,” said Michael Bryant, executive director of the CCLA.
