Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced Sunday that anyone in the province can get tested for COVID-19, regardless of whether they have symptoms, as cases continued to mount and officials criticized thousands of people who gathered in a Toronto park a day earlier.

The premier said mass testing is the province’s best defense against the virus, adding that the only way for the province to reach its testing capacity of nearly 25,000 is for people to show up to provincial assessment centres.

For more information, read this Global News article: Coronavirus: Doug Ford says anyone who wants a COVID-19 test in Ontario will be able to get one.

Read the Reopening Northern Ontario - Business Reopening Toolkit provided for the Northern Ontario Tourism Industry.

NEWS RELEASE

Ontario Launches New COVID-19 Screening Tool to Help Protect Students and Staff
New Tool Part of the Government’s Plan for the Safe Reopening of Schools

September 16, 2020
Offce of the Premier

TORONTO—The Ontario government launched a new voluntary interactive screening tool to assist parents, students and staff with the daily assessment of COVID-19 symptoms and risk factors that is required before attending school. The results will let parents, students, and education staff know whether they should attend school each day or guide at-risk individuals to proper resources. This tool is another layer of prevention that the province is using to protect the health and safety of students, staff, and the communities where they live and work.

Details were provided today by Premier Doug Ford, Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education, and Peter Bethlenfalvy, President of the Treasury Board.

"We are doing everything we can to keep students and staff safe, and that includes this new screening tool which will help people protect themselves and others from COVID-19," said Premier Ford. "It's everyone's responsibility to screen themselves or their child for symptoms before going to school. If you're sick or someone in your household is sick, even with mild symptoms, please stay home."

The new easy-to-use tool is voluntary and available for all parents, students and staff to use to help screen for symptoms of illness every day. Users will simply respond to clinician-informed symptom and risk questions, and the tool will then immediately inform users whether it is safe to attend school that day. The tool protects privacy and does not collect any personal health information. The tool was also developed in house by the Ontario Digital Service at n oadditional cost to taxpayers.

"Our government is taking every preventive action to safely reopen our schools, including the introduction of Ontario's new COVID-19 screening tool for students and staff," said Minister Lecce. "We have made tremendous progress as a province, which is why we must continue to heighten our vigilance by stepping up screening of each student and staff member before they enter our schools."

Earlier this summer, Ontario unveiled the nation's most comprehensive plan for the safe reopening of schools in September. The plan is supported by $1.3 billion in critical supports to hire more teachers and increase physical distancing, purchase personal protective equipment (PPE), enhance cleaning of schools and school buses, improve ventilation, hire more custodians, and add more school leadership positions and administrative support for virtual schools. The province has also established a mandatory masking policy for grades 4-12, and a robust surveillance and testing strategy to ensure a successful return to classrooms.

In addition, local public health units have filled over 530 nursing positions, or 85 per cent, of the additional 625 nursing positions created to help keep students and staff safe. The nurses will be providing rapid-response support to schools and school boards in facilitating public health and preventative measures, including screening, testing, tracing and mitigation strategies. In order to ensure that schools are supported from the start of the school year, several public health units have temporarily redeployed existing nurses while recruitment activities continue.

As part of Ontario's commitment for transparency, and in partnership with the Ministry of Health and the Ontario Digital Service, the Ministry of Education has also launched a webpage to report COVID-19 cases in schools and child care centres. This page will be updated every weekday with the most up-to-date COVID-19 information available, including a summary of cases in schools and licensed child care centres and agencies. This important resource will help parents and guardians know whether a COVID-19 case has been confirmed at their children's school, and where the numbers come from.

"As students across the province return to school, it's more important than ever that we provide families with the tools and information they need to stay safe and healthy," said Minister Bethlenfalvy. "Throughout the pandemic, our government has worked swiftly to leverage technology and innovation that puts vital programs and services at your fingertips. This tool is another example of how we're building a government that works for you."

The government also released the Operational Guidance: COVID-19 Management in Schools document. This guide was developed in consultation with public health experts, including Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health, and aims to help schools identify and isolate COVID-19 cases, reduce the spread of COVID-19 in schools, and prevent and minimize outbreaks.

Quick Facts

Ontario has committed to making $1.3 billion in COVID-19 resources available to school boards in support of the COVID- 19 outbreak, which includes $381 million in federal funding to support provincial back-to-school plans and $50 million in provincial funding for air quality and ventilation in schools.

For September, the government has delivered over 37 million pieces of PPE to Ontario’s 72 school boards and 10 education authorities, including more than 19.5 million masks, 16 million gloves, 317,000 face shields, 320,000 bottles of hand sanitizer, and 218,000 containers of disinfectant, among other critical supplies.

The Ontario government has named Dr. Dirk Huyer as Coordinator, Provincial Outbreak Response. In this role, he will lead the province’s efforts to prevent and minimize COVID-19 outbreaks in a number of sectors, including the education, child care, agriculture, and health care sectors.

The voluntary screening tool is one of several tools Ontarians should use to stop the spread of COVID-19. Other tools include Ontario’s self-assessment tool, which helps people check whether they have symptoms of COVID-19, and the COVID Alert app, which lets people know if they’ve been exposed to COVID-19—and alert others if they test positive.

Additional Resources

Visit Ontario’s website to learn more about how the province continues to protect Ontarians from COVID-19.

Related Topics

Education and Training

Learn about Ontario’s early years, education and training systems. Includes information on child care, elementary schools, secondary schools, colleges, universities, skills training and financial aid.

Government

Learn about the government services available to you and how government works.

Media Contacts

Ivana Yelich Premier's Office
Ivana.Yelich@ontario.ca

Caitlin Clark Minister Lecce's Office
Caitlin.Clark@ontario.ca

Ingrid Anderson Communications Branch
Ingrid.E.Anderson@ontario.ca
437 225-0321

NEWS RELEASE

Ontario Providing Accessible Rides to COVID-19 Vaccination Sites

Program will help people with mobility issues receive their vaccine shots

June 22, 2021
Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility

TORONTO—Building on recent success in getting millions of people vaccinated, the Ontario government is investing $3.7 million in a partnership with the Ontario Community Support Association to help people with disabilities, including seniors with mobility issues, get to and from vaccination sites so they can get their shot and help stop the spread of COVID-19.

To date, over three-quarters of all adults in Ontario have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, with nearly 26 per cent fully immunized. The Accessible Drive To Vaccines program will ensure that anyone who wants a vaccine is able to by connecting eligible individuals with staff and volunteers who will drive them to and from local vaccination sites across the province. This includes individuals who have not yet received their first shot, or anyone who may require additional support to access their second.

“Our government understands that some Ontario residents may face barriers in traveling to a vaccination site,” said Raymond Cho, Minister for Seniors and Accessibility. “This program will ensure that transportation is not a barrier to vaccination. It will help many Ontarians with mobility issues get vaccinated.”

This initiative will focus on helping people who do not have access to accessible transportation through family, neighbours or community organizations.

"In many communities across Ontario, the dedicated staff and volunteers who work in the community support sector have been providing safe rides to vaccination sites for several months,” said Deborah Simon, OCSA’s Chief Executive Officer. “As demand continues to grow, we’re pleased to be involved in coordinating this project, which recognizes, supports, and extends the capacity of these hard-working organizations to help vulnerable people protect themselves against COVID-19.”

Getting as many Ontarians as possible vaccinated is a critical part of the government’s strategy to fight COVID-19.

Quick Facts

• Individuals must have a vaccine appointment booked for the date of transportation requested.
• Eligible individuals must be a person with a disability within the meaning of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005.
• Depending on logistics it may be the same driver both ways or two separate drivers.
• One caregiver or support person will also be permitted to accompany the person on this accessible transportation initiative.

Additional Resources

• COVID-19: Supports for seniors and people with disabilities
• 2021 Budget - Ontario’s Action Plan: Protecting People’s Health and Our Economy

Media Contacts

Elric Pereira Minister’s office
elric.pereira@ontario.ca

Media Desk
Communications Branch
msaa.media@ontario.ca