"Passed during a special sitting of the Ontario Legislature today, the Declaration of Emergency has been extended until 2 June", a statement from the Canadian province said on Tuesday evening. "This additional time will ensure the province has the necessary tools and health care capacity to contain COVID-19, while gradually reopening businesses, services, and amenities safely".
Earlier on Tuesday, Ford said that he would have news to share on Thursday about reopening more businesses in Ontario.
However, the extension of the Declaration of Emergency ensures that certain restrictive measures, such as prohibiting care home employees from working in more than one facility and limiting social gatherings to no more than five individuals, remain in places for the time being.
The province's Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr David Williams, however, seemed more apprehensive about the prospect, saying that that infection rates have been on the decline for only a week, while provincial guidelines mandate a minimal two-week downward trend before embarking on the first phase of the province's three-step plan to reopening the economy.
As of 4 May, garden centres and nurseries, as well as lawn care companies and construction sites in Ontario have been allowed to resume operations.
Ontario, Canada's most populous province, has been in a state of emergency since 17 March due the COVIS-19 pandemic.
Ontario has reported 20,907 COVID-19 infections and 1,725 disease-related fatalities, trailing only Quebec in both measures.
