Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Long-Term Care Minister Merrilee Fullerton are set to speak about the situation in that sector, as one fifth of homes were dealing with an active COVID-19 outbreak on Wednesday.
Multiple homes across the GTA have had to be taken over by area hospitals, or in one instance, a private company was ordered to take over a home in order to ensure care is delivered.
At least 2,442 residents of long-term care have died of COVID-19 since March, along with eight workers.
A commission tasked with reporting on COVID-19 in the long-term care system has issued two reports so far, calling for greater transparency about standards, tougher and more frequent inspections and better infection prevention and control standards.
Families of those who have died in several homes have formed class action lawsuits against home operators, claiming negligence, and Ford has been criticized for making it harder to sue long-term care home operators in a piece of recent legislation.
Ford and Fullerton will speak at approximately 1 p.m. at Queen’s Park.
