Toronto police officer, TTC employee, 4 people in shelter system test positive for COVID-19

A TTC Wheel-Trans operator, a Toronto police officer, and four people in the city's shelter system are among the latest Toronto residents to test positive for COVID-19, it was announced on Friday.

The TTC said the operator — its third TTC employee to test positive — has a travel history and was last at work on March 12.

The employee began showing symptoms on March 17, the TTC said in a statement Friday, adding that this means he did not work in the 48 hours prior to showing symptoms. 

"Once advised of this diagnosis, the TTC engaged Toronto Public Health to determine next steps. They have determined there is no increased risk of exposure to other employees or customers," the statement reads.

It said employee representatives on the Joint Health and Safety Committee and ATU Local 113 have been consulted.

Police officer from 14 Division tests positive

On Thursday, a police officer from 14 Division notified supervisors that they had tested positive for COVID-19, Toronto police said in a statement on Friday.

Spokesperson Meaghan Gray said in an email that the police service is working with public health authorities who are conducting an in-depth investigation related to the individual and their contacts.  

Gray said all proper notifications were made and immediate steps were taken, including enhanced cleaning measures, such as additional surface cleaning in frequently accessed areas, as has been recommended by public health officials. 

"Those who work in close proximity to the member have been advised to self-monitor," Gray wote in the email.

"We continue to strongly advise our members to continue following the advice of Toronto Public Health with respect to self-screening, social distancing, frequent hand-washing with soap, and practicing self-isolation, as advised by public health authorities."

Meanwhile, Mary-Anne Bédard, the city's general manager of shelter, support and housing said as of noon on Friday, there are four confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the shelter system.

Spacing between shelter beds doesn't meet recommendations

At a news conference Friday afternoon, Bédard noted that the current spacing between beds in shelters is less than what the city's Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eileen de Villa has recommended.

"Current shelter guidelines require two and half feet. We are working with public health and all of our community operators to look at ways people can create that physical distancing that Dr. de Villa is requesting," Bédard said.

"We do have our quality assurance staff going out site by site, we have a space analysis that we completed last year that we're looking at, so although two and a half feet is a minimum requirement, we do know that many of our shelters do exceed that."

At Friday's news conference, De Villa said that as of 1 p.m., there were 457 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Toronto, up by 118 from the previous day's total.

Of the 457, there are 29 patients hospitalized — 15 of them in intensive care units.

Noting that approximately 25 per cent of the cases are attached to "community spread," de Villa said she is "troubled" by some of the stories she hears of people who continue to ignore physical distancing guidelines.

"While under normal circumstances these kinds of actions may seem harmless, they are very concerning in our current situation," de Villa said.

City, Serge Ibaka team up on COVID-19 messaging

Late on Friday the city got a boost in its efforts to spread the message about physical distancing.

Toronto Raptors star Serge Ibaka, who has been busy since the COVID-19 outbreak producing videos showcasing his life at home during isolation, released another in his series: "How bored are you?"

It features de Villa, general manager of emergency management Matthew Pegg and others.

Watch the full video below:

Mayor calls out 'disrespectful' and 'irresponsible' shoppers

Also speaking at Friday's news conference, Mayor John Tory said he's been advised of some unruly behavior by some President's Choice, Loblaws and Shoppers customers.

According to Tory, some customers have been making jokes about workers in the stores being COVID-19 positive.

"This kind of behaviour is disrespectful, it's irresponsible, and when it comes to cracking jokes about a deadly virus, it is really just dangerous," Tory said. 

"I'm calling it out today in hopes that people will get the message and do the right thing."