Ontario reports over 6,000 COVID-19 cases over two days as ‘shutdown’ takes effect

Ontario’s daily COVID-19 case count surged back up over the 3,000 mark on Apr. 3, hours after a new provincewide “shutdown” took effect in a move meant to bring soaring infection rates back under control.

The measures, introduced to combat what Premier Doug Ford called an “alarming” recent spike in COVID-19 infections and intended to last for at least four weeks, sounded economic alarm bells for some industry groups who say their sectors cannot withstand additional closures and financial losses.

The provincewide “shutdown” came as a particular blow to salon operators in long-standing hot spots that were within weeks of reopening their doors to customers again, according to a spokeswoman with the Beauty United Council of Ontario.

“Everybody’s very frustrated and angry,” said council spokeswoman Annette Palumbo. “The (reopening) should not have been promised if the province was going to have a lockdown, which would have saved them time and trouble of getting their clients, calling them all, booking their appointments, and then before they’re even finished they have to call them to unbook them again. It’s a lot of man-hours and a lot of work, and it cost them a lot of money.”

Ontario logged 3,009 new cases of COVID-19 on Apr. 3 and 3,089 cases a day earlier, when data sharing was paused for the Good Friday holiday.

The province also reported 39 new virus-related deaths over the same two-day stretch.

Health Minister Christine Elliott said Toronto and Peel Region remain the most active zones for the virus, with Hamilton and Ottawa also seeing higher local case loads.

There were 796 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Ontario as of Saturday, with 451 patients in intensive care and 261 on a ventilator.

The province said 147,749 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine were administered since Apr. 2’s report.

A total of 2,424,063 vaccine doses have been given in the province so far.