Ontario extends pandemic emergency orders until the end of the month

The provincial government has once again extended pandemic emergency orders currently in place under s.7.0.2 (4) of the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMCPA), and they'll now be in effect until at least July 29.

Keeping these orders in place, of which there are 35, provides the province with the necessary flexibility to ensure vulnerable populations remain protected amidst the pandemic, and to continue implementing its Framework for Reopening the Province as most of the province enters Stage 3 tomorrow.

"The government continues to review emergency orders currently in place to determine when and if they can be safely eased or lifted," reads a release from the province.

News Release: Ontario Extends Emergency Ordershttps://t.co/nr28tbnXlW pic.twitter.com/QpfAg8JwA1

— Donna Skelly (@SkellyHamilton) July 16, 2020

The extension of these orders comes after the province introduced the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020 on July 7.

If passed, this act would allow the government to keep emergency orders in place into 2021, even after the provincial emergency declaration has ended.  

The declaration of emergency was originally made on March 17 and is currently in effect until July 24.

"Although the trends in public health indicators continue to improve, we must remain on our guard and only relax emergency orders if and when safe to do so," said Premier Doug Ford in a statement.

"By following our gradual plan to reopen the province, we are seeing people get back to work and resume many activities safely. We do not want to undo the tremendous progress we have made together, so I urge everyone to stay the course and follow public health advice."