Ontario imposing widespread enterprise closures as a part of its bid to sluggish the unfold of COVID-19 because the extremely transmissible Omicron variant threatens well being system capability, however nothing will change for new-vehicle sellers in that province.

Frank Notte, the director of presidency relations on the Trillium Car Sellers Affiliation, which represents about 1,100 new-vehicle dealerships in Ontario, says the brand new restrictions depart sellers untouched.

“Primarily based on the information launch, sellers can be working at 50 per cent [of capacity]. However sellers have been working at 50 per cent because the authorities made the Dec. 17 announcement on pubic well being measures,” Notte stated in an e-mail to Automotive Information Canada. “Seems to be like nothing has modified for sellers given [Monday’s] announcement.”

The federal government stated Monday that indoor eating rooms, gyms and different indoor gathering areas should shut on Wednesday, whereas private care companies and retail shops can be restricted to 50 per cent capability and indoor social gatherings can be capped at 5 folks.

Employers are requested to let staff work remotely “until the character of their work requires them to be on-site.”

The federal government stated free child-care can be offered for frontline staff with school-aged kids.

Additionally introduced Monday was an expanded rebate program for companies affected by the brand new slate of closures.

The federal government stated sure companies ordered to shut can be reimbursed for 100 per cent of property tax and vitality prices, and people who should scale back capability to 50 per cent will obtain a rebate fee for half these bills.

SCHOOL, SURGERIES ALSO AFFECTED

Ontario is also transferring faculty lessons on-line and pausing non-urgent surgical procedures.

The return to distant studying represents an about-face for the federal government, which doubled down on a return to in-person education as lately as Dec. 30.

“We’re bracing for influence,” Premier Doug Ford stated, pointing to what he referred to as a “tsunami” of Omicron instances that is anticipated to hit the overworked well being system and hold folks throughout all sectors from coming into work within the weeks forward.

Ford introduced the two-week faculty closure on Monday, days after his authorities stated that youngsters would attend lessons in particular person on Wednesday.

Monday’s announcement additionally represented a coverage reversal for hospitals which have spent current months prioritizing sources to compensate for an enormous backlog of procedures that have been delayed throughout earlier waves of infections.

However Ford pointed to projections from Ontario Well being, which oversees the province’s well being system, displaying the whole variety of sufferers in provincial hospitals would exceed capability inside a number of weeks as Omicron is anticipated to tear by way of the inhabitants.

“These selections will disappoint folks, they are going to confuse some folks and they’ll anger some folks. I perceive all these reactions,” he stated. “As Premier, these are the toughest selections I make. However we observe the info.”

Ford stated current numbers present that about one per cent of individuals contaminated with Omicron require hospitalization, however as a result of the variant is so infectious, the sheer variety of instances might nonetheless threaten to overwhelm the well being system.

Well being Minister Christine Elliott stated extra persons are coming to hospitals for brief stays, however the excessive variety of admissions — with 1,232 folks hospitalized and 210 in intensive care attributable to COVID-19 as of Monday — together with workers absences from virus infections name for stronger measures to protect capability.

CRITICS ABOUND

Critics have been fast to level out that the potential influence of the escalating Omicron scenario was clear from different jurisdictions the place the variant took maintain earlier.

“But once more, this authorities determined to take a ‘wait-and-see’ method to see how unhealthy it was going to get earlier than they determined to take motion,” New Democrat Chief Andrea Horwath stated, pointing to the hardships forward for households, staff, small enterprise homeowners and the well being system.

“It is a horrifying scenario, and it actually didn’t need to be this manner.”

She additionally argued that higher wages and assist for well being staff might have helped alleviate staffing pressures worsening the scenario in hospitals.

Liberal Chief Steven Del Duca accused Ford of heightening households’ anxieties by backtracking on the college resolution. Others, together with a coalition of childrens’ hospitals, raised issues in regards to the psychological well being influence of one other widespread faculty closure.

The union representing elementary faculty academics stated transferring lessons on-line quickly is safer than the plan introduced final week, and referred to as for higher protecting measures in colleges to accommodate the return to class.

“We share the assumption that in-person studying is the perfect and most equitable approach for college students to study, however it should be secure,” stated Karen Brown, president of the Elementary Lecturers’ Federation of Ontario.

Toronto dad or mum Lauren Bondar referred to as the choice to delay in-person studying “so disheartening.” She stated earlier faculty closures impacted her six-year-old son’s studying and improvement and compelled her to reduce on her job to take care of him.

“We’re taking ladies out of the workforce,” she stated. “As a society we’re simply going again to a time that I by no means thought in our technology of adults we might be at.”

She stated she desires to see extra security measures in colleges so children and oldsters can profit from in-person studying.

Ontario reported 13,578 new COVID-19 instances on Monday, two days after reporting a record-breaking every day tally of greater than 18,000 instances. Public Well being Ontario has stated precise case counts are probably a lot larger attributable to coverage modifications which have made COVID-19 exams much less accessible.

Ford stated the choice to shut colleges, a transfer that might final no less than two weeks, was taken as a result of the province could not assure colleges could be absolutely staffed with so many academics anticipated to be off sick or uncovered to the virus.

Different measures taking impact could be in place for no less than 21 days and can be reassessed primarily based on public well being traits.

On Wednesday, the province’s chief medical officer is about to reinstate a directive ordering hospitals to pause all non-emergent and non-urgent surgical procedures to protect vital care capability.

Elliott stated the choice was made attributable to staffing pressures and the necessity for mattress areas in mild of Omicron’s development throughout the province.

The chief government officer of Ontario Well being stated the directive would have an effect on between 8,000 and 10,000 procedures per week.

“It was a troublesome resolution, an enormous value, however one thing that’s crucial given what we’re seeing within the numbers,” Matt Anderson stated.