Toronto, Canada’s most-populous city and financial centre, will allow businesses to reopen starting on Wednesday, joining other regions of Ontario in ending a three-month pandemic lockdown.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford made the announcement on Monday, saying that shopping malls and restaurants in Toronto will be able to open for business. Ford said the government would continue to monitor health trends and consult daily with the province’s medical experts, and remind people to stay vigilant against the coronavirus.
Downtown Toronto is home to some of Canada’s biggest banks and insurers, and many of them have agreed to allow their staff to work from home until at least September. Ontario, Canada’s largest province by population, started gradually reopening its economy this month, but Toronto was left off the initial list.
Canadian provinces imposed lockdowns in March to contain the spread of the coronavirus, which has killed 8,430 people in Canada and infected 101,337, according to the latest government data. Toronto has recorded more than 1,000 deaths.
