Ontario confirms 304 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday

CBC News | Posted: May 18, 2020 3:13 PM | Last Updated: May 18, 2020

Number of tests completed dropped by more than 6,000 on Sunday

Image | Woman with mask

Caption: The Ministry of Health is also reporting 23 more deaths, bringing the official total to 1,904. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)

Open Image in New Tab

Ontario has reported 304 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, bringing the total number of cases in the province to 22,957.

The latest number tracks with the increases recorded last week — all of which fell roughly between 300 and 350 new cases per day.

What will Ontario's 1st stage of reopening look like? Premier Ford unveils details

Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada on May 18

The Ontario health ministry is also reporting 23 more deaths as well as 38 more hospitalizations related to the virus.

Using data from local public health units, CBC News has counted a total of 2,005 deaths in the province as of Monday evening, an increase of 8 deaths since earlier today.

The number of tests carried out on Sunday dropped, with 9,155 completed, compared to more than 16,000 on Saturday.

Toronto reports 92 new cases of COVID-19

Meanwhile, the city of Toronto has seen an increase of 92 cases since Sunday, bringing the total number of cases to 8,603.

There are 418 people in hospital, with 88 in the intensive care unit.

In total, 6,493 cases have been resolved, an increase of 132 since Sunday, as the city, along with the rest of the province, prepares for some measures to ease.

Shops get ready for reopening

Ontario will enter its first stage of reopening on Tuesday and lift restrictions on certain retailers and on the construction industry, as well as on some parts of the health-care system.

Retail stores outside of shopping malls, with separate street entrances, can begin reopening with physical distancing measures in place. These measures include limiting the number of customers in the store at any one time and booking appointments in advance or on the spot.

Media Video | The National : New rules, precautions as retailers reopen

Caption: As retail stores in many provinces begin to reopen, retailers are asking customers to take precautions and abide by new rules.

Open Full Embed in New Tab Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage.

Seasonal businesses and recreational activities for individual or single competitors, including training and sport competitions conducted by a recognized national or provincial sport organization, will also be allowed to restart.

Indoor and outdoor non-team sport competitions that can be played while maintaining physical distancing and without spectators, such as tennis, track and field and horse racing, can resume as well.

Also opening up: pet care services, such as grooming and training, and regular veterinary appointments.

The province is also lifting essential workplace limits on construction and resuming certain health and medical services, such as in-person counselling and services and scheduled surgeries.

The Ontario government is expected to announce on Tuesday when schools and child-care centres might be able to reopen.