These maps show Toronto’s current COVID-19 hot spots are not where you think they are.
VANCOUVER — The number of COVID-19 cases in Vancouver has continued to rise in recent weeks, prompting the province to declare a state of public health emergency on Friday.
On Saturday, public health officials in the city announced five more positive cases of the virus, bringing the total to 24.
The Vancouver Coastal Health has asked residents and visitors to stay away from all beaches, parks, swimming areas and restaurants.
Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart says he’s urging the province to “not only do a thorough and independent assessment of the COVID-19 situation… but also to take a hard look at the recommendations that are being made (by) provinces across the country and to examine those recommendations and see, in particular, that the recommendations are being followed.”
The mayor says the decision comes “after consulting with his staff and after receiving the advice of the province, the Public Health Agency of Canada, and, most importantly, the City of Vancouver.”
Stewart says the city “made a point when the situation started to grow to say, ‘This is not normal,’ and we’ve been saying that.”
He says the city is in close communication with other levels of government and the public health agency.
“We’re continuing to be on a daily basis making sure we’re following best practices and we’re doing a lot of different, regular and deep, detailed evaluations.”
B.C. and Alberta, meanwhile, have been lauded for the way they’ve moved quickly to impose social distancing measures in their respective provinces.
NDP Leader John Horgan says the situation in Toronto is not an accurate reflection of the city’s challenges.
“The problem isn’t in Toronto. The problem is on the streets that are experiencing the brunt of this pandemic and that are dealing with the shortages and the shortages and the shortages.”
Public health officials have identified four hotspots, all in the eastern part of the city. The most recent case in that area came from