17 April 2020 – Emergency order enables staff to be reassigned to priority areas to protect vulnerable people

Type of Intervention: Regulation
Sectors Involved: Health, Social Services
Intervention Categories: Social and physical distancing measures; Special populations
Level of Jurisdiction: Ontario
Lead People/Agency: Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark, Minister for Seniors and Accessibility Raymond Cho, Minister of Health Christine Elliot

Overview: The Ontario government has issued new temporary emergency orders under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act to better protect Ontario’s vulnerable populations. These measures include restricting retirement home employees from working in more than one retirement, long-term care, or health care setting, providing Local Health Integration Networks with the ability to direct frontline staff to areas where they are most needed, and providing municipalities with ability to reassign certain staff according to local need.
Full details here: https://news.ontario.ca/opo/en/2020/04/ontario-takes-further-action-to-protect-vulnerable-people-from-covid-19.html

Type of Justification: Perception of an increased threat
Evidence/Justification: The justification provided throughout this announcement for these additional measures is to offer greater support and protection for those most vulnerable. There are no specific evidence sources cited.