In a news conference at Queen’s Park, Ontario Premier Doug Ford and provincial Health Minister Christine Elliott provide an update on their government’s response to the ongoing COVID-19 (coronavirus disease) pandemic. They are joined by Sylvia Jones, Ontario’s Solicitor General, and retired general Rick Hillier, chair of the province's COVID-19 vaccine distribution task force. The province unveils its three-phase plan to distribute vaccines. The first stage will start on December 15, when a total of 6,000 healthcare workers are expected to be vaccinated in Toronto and Ottawa.
The premier also faces questions from reporters on the federal government's new carbon-pricing proposal and on federal health transfers.
The update comes as the province moves Windsor-Essex County and the York region to lockdown for a minimum of 28 days beginning on December 14. They join the city of Toronto and the region of Peel, which are currently under lockdown until at least December 21. Five other regions will also face stricter restrictions as they move to different levels on December 14. New provincial COVID-19 projections suggest recent lockdown measures have not been as effective as the ones imposed earlier in the year.
