Timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario (2020)

On January 23, the first presumptive case in Canada was admitted to Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto and placed into a negative pressure chamber.^[1][2] The patient, a male in his 50s who travelled between Wuhan and Guangzhou before returning to Toronto on January 22, contacted emergency services following rapid onset symptoms.^[3] The presumption of infection in the patient was made after a rapid test was done at Public Health Ontario's Toronto laboratory, and was announced on January 25.^[1][2] Final testing conducted at the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, Manitoba confirmed the presumptive case on January 27.^[4] Authorities said that the patient was experiencing respiratory problems but was in stable condition.^[1] His condition later improved and he was released from hospital on January 31.^[5]

On January 27, the Chief Medical Officer of Health of Ontario announced the man's wife as the second presumptive case.^[6] Officials reported that she was in good condition and that she was asymptomatic.^[6]

On January 31, the third case in Ontario (and the fourth case in Canada) was reported in the city of London.^[7] Officials said that the individual, a woman in her twenties and a student at University of Western Ontario, returned from Wuhan on January 23.^[8] She was asymptomatic and had tested negative at first, but additional advanced testing confirmed that the woman had low levels of the virus in her system.^[8] Officials said that the individual wore a mask during her voyage and she voluntarily entered self-isolation upon her return, making a full recovery after two or three days.^[8] On the same day, the Government of Ontario reported that 17 cases were under investigation within its provincial jurisdiction.^[9] Officials said that most of the individuals under investigation were awaiting results while in self-isolation at home.^[10] As of January 30, the associate medical officer of Ontario said that the province had conducted a total of 67 tests with 38 negative results.^[10] Officials said that all possible cases—including previous negative results—were being retested as additional assessments become available.^[8]

CFB Trenton in Trenton, Ontario was used as a quarantine facility for repatriated Canadians since February 7.^[11] By March 24, 13 positive cases for the virus of the repatriated citizens at CFB Trenton were reported.^[12]

On February 23, one more presumptive case was confirmed in Ontario. The samples were sent to the National Microbiology Lab for further testing.^[13][14]

On February 24, a fourth presumptive case in Ontario was announced of a woman in her 20s who presented to a hospital on February 21 with symptoms after travelling to Wuhan. The woman was tested locally with a positive test result and the sample was sent to the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg.^[15] On February 24, health officials in Ontario stated that all three previous cases in Ontario were "resolved", which means patients had two consecutive negative test results 24 hours apart and that the "system was working".^[15]

On February 26, a Toronto woman with a history of traveling to Iran tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases in Canada to 12.^[16][17]

On February 27, Canada confirmed the first human-to-human transmission in Toronto, the husband of the woman who had travelled to Iran, bringing the total cases in the country to 13.^[18][19]

On February 28, two positive cases were reported in Ontario, bringing the total number of cases in Canada to 16. One of them had traveled to Iran while the other had visited Egypt.^{[20][21][22][23]}

On February 29, Ontario confirmed one case in York Region and two cases in Durham Region, bringing the total number of cases in the province to 11.^[24][25]

Date	Cases		Recoveries		Deaths		Hospitalizations			Sources
	New	Total	New	Total	New	Total	Total	ICU	Ventilators
1	4	15	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	[26][27]
2	3	18	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	[28][29]
3	2	20	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	[30][31]
4	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
5	3	23	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	[32]
6	5	28	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	[33]
7	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
8	4	32	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	[34][35]
9	3	35	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	[36][37]
10	2	27	5	5	-	-	-	-	-	[38]
11	5	42	0	5	-	-	-	-	-	[39][40]
12	18	60	0	5	-	-	-	-	-	[41]
13	19	79	0	5	-	-	2	-	-	[42][43]
14	24	103	0	5	-	-	-	-	-	[44][45]
15	42	145	0	5	-	-	-	-	-	[46][47]
16	32	177	0	5	-	-	-	-	-	[48][49]
17	13	190	0	5	0	1	-	-	-	[50][51]
18	25	214	0	5	0	1	-	-	-	[52]
19	43	251	0	5	1	2	-	-	-	[53][54]
20	60	311	0	5	0	2	-	-	-	[55]
21	59	368	1	6	1	3	1	-	-	[56][57]
22	48	425	2	8	2	5	-	-	-	[58][59]
23	78	503	0	8	1	6	23	-	-	[60][61]
24	85	588	0	8	2	8	50	17	7	[62][63]
25	100	688	0	8	5	13	40	17	15	[64][65]
26	170	858	0	8	2	15	29	29	20	[66][67]
27	135	993	0	8	3	18	60	43	32	[68][69]
28	151	1,117	0	8	1	19	0	63	46	[70][71]
29	211	1,355	0	8	4	23	-	-	-	[72][73]
30	351	1,706	-	431	10	33	-	100	61	[74][75]
31	260	1,966	-	534	0	33	291	125	82	[76][77]

On March 5, Ontario reported three more cases of the virus, for a total of 23 in the province, with cases in Toronto, Kitchener, and Mississauga being reported. The three cases came from Iran, Italy, and the Grand Princess cruise ship, respectively. It was also announced that another case in Ontario was resolved.^[32]

On March 6, five cases (two imported from each of Iran and the Grand Princess, and one from Las Vegas) were reported, bringing the total number to 28.^[33]

On March 8, four more cases were reported to have been imported from Colorado, Washington, D.C., France, and Germany; bringing the total to 32.^[34][35][78]

On March 9, Ontario confirmed two new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number of cases in the province to 34. They are an octogenarian and a septuagenarian from Toronto having travelled to Iran, where cases of COVID-19 had multiplied in recent weeks.^[79]

On March 10, a close contact of a previous case and a man who travelled to Switzerland were confirmed as Ontario's 35th and 36th case, respectively. Later the same day, a Sudbury man who attended the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) conference in Toronto on March 2–3 was confirmed as the 37th positive case, and the first in northern Ontario.^[80]

On March 11, a 40-year-old man who recently travelled to Austria was confirmed as the first coronavirus case in Ottawa.^[81] The overall coronavirus case number in Ontario rose to 42 on the same day. On March 12, 17 new cases were confirmed including a baby boy who had recently visited the North York General Hospital in Toronto. That day, the total number of cases in Ontario increased to 59.^[82] On the same day Ontario announced that all publicly funded schools will be closed from March 14, 2020, to April 5, 2020, or extending March break from its end on March 22 to April 5. On March 13, health officials reported 19 additional cases, bringing the number of cases to 79, and on the 14th, 24 more, making the total 103.^[83][84]

On March 17, Ontario announced its first death with COVID-19, a man in his 70s in Barrie.^[85] Premier Ford declared a provincial state of emergency under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act. and began to order the closure of certain businesses and facilities.^[86][87]

On March 18, an undisclosed player for the Ottawa Senators National Hockey League team was tested positive.^[88] That day, 23 new cases were confirmed in Ontario which brings the total number of cases to 212.^[89] A state of emergency was also declared in Peel Region^[90] and Simcoe County by Warden George Cornell.^[91] On March 20, Acting Mayor Jesse Helmer declared a state of emergency in the City of London.^[92]

On March 23, a state of emergency was declared in Toronto by Mayor John Tory,^[93] in York Region by Chair Wayne Emmerson,^[94] and in Halton Region by Chair Gary Carr.^[95] The following day, a state of emergency was also declared in Durham Region by Chair John Henry^[96] and in Kawartha Lakes by Mayor Andy Letham.^[97]

On March 25, Ford and Finance Minister Rod Phillips introduced a $17-billion response package that includes an influx of cash for the health sector, direct payments to parents and tax breaks for businesses.^[98]

On March 26, a municipal state of emergency was declared in Kingston by Mayor Bryan Paterson due to two new cases of the virus announced by KFL&A Public Health. Three recent cases in the region had reported no prior close contact with known infected persons, causing health officials to conclude that community transmission is present in the region, and closures of several medical clinics.

In response to the anticipated increase in patients requiring critical care, the Ontario government announced on March 27 that over 3,000 ventilators were ready to be deployed in Ontario (compared to the current capacity of approximately 1,300 critical care beds with ventilators and 43 patients requiring critical care as of March 27).^[99]

On March 31, Mayor of Toronto John Tory announced that the city would cancel all city-led major events, festivals (including Toronto's Pride Parade, which was scheduled to take place on June 28), conferences, permits and cultural programs until June 30. Tory clarified that this does not necessarily restrict professional sporting events, but they are still covered under provincial restrictions on public gatherings.^[100][101]

From the initial case on January 23 to March 18, over half of the reported cases are reported in Toronto (220 cases),^[102] of which 11 are under investigation for community transmission.^[103] Hamilton reported 23 cases,^[104] Ottawa reported 19 cases,^[105] Durham Region reported 18 cases^[106] and Waterloo Region reporting 14 cases.^[107]

Date	Cases		Recoveries		Deaths		Hospitalizations			Sources
	New	Total	New	Total	New	Total	Total	ICU	Ventilators
1	426	2,392	-	689	4	37	331	145	98	[108][109]
2	401	2,793	150	831	16	53	405	167	112	[110][111]
3	462	3,255	-	1,032	14	67	462	194	140	[112][113]
4	375	3,630	-	1,200+	2	23	506	196	152	[114][115]
5	408	4,038	230	1,449	25	110	523	200	154	[116][117]
6	309	4,347	-	1,624	13	132	589	216	160	[118][119]
7	379	4,726	-	1,802	21	153	614	233	187	[120][121]
8	550	5,276	-	2,074	21	174	605	246	195	[122][123]
9	483	5 759	-	2,305	26	200	632	264	214	[124][125]
10	478	6,237	-	2,574	22	222	673	260	217	[126][127]
11	411	6,648	-	2,853	31	253	691	257	215	[128][129]
12	411	6,648	-	2,853	31	253	691	257	215	[130][131]
13	421	7,470	-	3,357	17	291	760	263	203	[132][133]
14	483	7,953	211	3,568	43	334	769	255	199	[134][135]
15	494	8,447	334	3,902	51	385	759	254	188	[136][137]
16	514	8,961	-	4,194	38	423	807	248	200	[138][139]
17	564	9,525	362	4,556	55	478	829	245	200	[140][141]
18	485	10,010	-	-	36	514	828	250	197	[142][143]
19	568	10,578	-	+5,200	39	568	809	247	196	[144][145]
20	606	11,184	-	5,515	31	584	802	247	193	[146][147]
21	551	11,735	-	5,806	38	622	859	250	194	[148][149]
22	510	12,245	415	6,221	37	659	878	243	192	[150][151]
23	634	12,879	-	6,680	54	713	887	233	185	[152][153]
24	640	13,519	407	7,087	50	763	910	243	193	[154][155]
25	476	13,995	-	7,509	48	811	925	245	195	[156][157]
26	437	14,432	-	8,000	24	835	938	252	195	[158][159]
27	424	14,856	-	8,525	57	892	945	241	191	[160][161]
28	525	15,381	-	8,964	59	951	957	239	187	[162][163]
29	347	15,728	-	9,612	45	996	977	235	186	[164][165]
30	459	16,187	-	10,205	86	1,082	999	233	181	[166][167]

On April 2, Lakeridge Health declared an outbreak of COVID-19 at Lakeridge Health Oshawa in Oshawa, and announced that one of its in-patient units would be temporarily closed after a hospital-acquired case of COVID-19 was transmitted to a health care worker treating the patient.^[168]

The next day, models were released which projected that public health measures in the province prevented an estimated 220,000 cases and 4,400 deaths up to that point. Between 3,000 and 15,000 deaths related to COVID-19 were predicted with the current public health measures over the course of the pandemic, compared to a total projected 100,000 deaths if no action were taken, and if further measures are taken, models showed projections as low as 12,500 additional cases and 200 additional deaths by the end of April.^[169] The models projected that by April 30 there would be 80,000 cases and 1600 deaths under the current interventions.^[170] In addition, the government projected a peak use of ICU beds of 1200 beds by April 18 under their best-case scenario (with over 3000 ICU beds required under the worst-case scenario by April 30).^[169]

On April 9, Ontario reported its first death of a healthcare worker, a man in his fifties in Brampton.^[171]

On April 14 during an emergency session, the Legislative Assembly voted to extend the provincial state of emergency through May 12.

In late April, the Canadian Armed Forces was deployed to five nursing homes in the Greater Toronto Area.^[172] (In Quebec, the CAF were deployed to 25 facilities.)^[173]

Date	Cases		Recoveries		Deaths		Hospitalizations			Sources
	New	Total	New	Total	New	Total	Total	ICU	Ventilators
1	421	16,608	-	10,825	39	1,121	1,017	225	175	[174][175]
2	511	17,119	-	11,390	55	1,176	977	221	154	[176][177]
3	434	17,553	-	12,005	49	1,216	1,010	232	174	[178][179]
4	370	17,923	-	12,505	84	1,300	984	225	175	[180][181]
5	387	18,310	-	12,779	61	1,361	1,043	223	166	[182][183]
6	412	18,722	-	13,222	68	1,429	1,032	219	174	[184][185]
7	399	19,121	-	13,569	48	1,477	1,033	220	155	[186][187]
8	477	19,598	-	13,990	63	1,540	1,028	213	166	[188][189]
9	346	19,944	-	14,383	59	1,599	1,016	203	158	[190][191]
10	294	20,238	-	14,772	35	1,634	961	195	140	[192][193]
11	308	20,546	-	15,131	35	1,669	1,027	194	147	[194][195]
12	361	20,907	-	15,391	56	1,725	1,025	192	146	[196][197]
13	329	21,236	-	15,845	40	1,765	1,018	189	144	[198][199]
14	345	21,922	-	16,641	27	1,825	1,026	184	141	[200][201]
15	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
16	391	22,313	-	17,000+	33	1,858	975	180	135	[202][203]
17	340	22,653	-	17,400	23	1,881	934	171	129	[204][205]
18	304	22,957	-	17,638	23	1,904	972	174	133	[206][207]
19	427	23,384	-	17,898	15	1,919	987	167	123	[208][209]
20	390	23,774	-	18,190	43	1,962	991	160	120	[210][211]
21	413	24,187	-	18,509	31	1,993	984	155	117	[212][213]
22	441	24,628	-	18,767	28	2,021	961	153	120	[214][215]
23	412	25,040	-	19,146	27	2,048	912	147	119	[216][217]
24	460	25,500	-	19,500	25	2,073	878	148	104	[218][219]
25	404	25,904	-	19,698	29	2,102	859	148	114	[220][221]
26	287	26,191	-	19,958	21	2,123	848	143	113	[222][223]
27	292	26,483	-	20,372	32	2,155	847	150	117	[224][225]
28	383	26,866	-	20,673	34	2,189	833	137	94	[226][227]
29	344	27,210	-	20,983	41	2,230	826	129	100	[228][229]
30	323	27,533	-	21,353	16	2,247	801	121	84	[230][231]
31	326	27,859	-	21,810	19	2,266	781	118	90	[232][233]

On May 1, Shanker Nesathurai, Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH) for Haldimand County and Norfolk County, both of which lie on the shores of Lake Erie, had issued an order under the province's Health Protection and Promotion Act, which reads:^[234]

You are not permitted to occupy your secondary residence within [my jurisdiction], which includes a rented cottage, vacation home, beach house, chalet, and/or condominium... You are not permitted to allow anyone else to occupy your Secondary Residence within [my jurisdiction].

By May 4, 2020, outbreaks on four different inpatient units were declared at Toronto Western Hospital. The first was declared on April 18 while three others were declared on April 30.^[235] On May 10, another outbreak was declared on another floor at the hospital.^[236] While the term outbreak differs in definition by hospital, Toronto Western Hospital defines it as the confirmation of one positive patient per unit. On May 13, the hospital's emergency department declared an outbreak after five of its staff tested positive.^[237]

On May 5, it came to light that the mayor of Huron-Kinloss township by Lake Huron in March 2020 ordered water service to seasonal properties shut off. Carling Township ordered its boat launch facility to remain closed, thus preventing access to anyone who needs it, including seasonal residents. Cottage-country mayors pleaded with the government of Ontario to legislate or somehow else to accept responsibility for their fate. In a memo circulated to his subordinate medical officers of health, Dr. David Williams was frightened by the advice of CMOH Nesathurai and said that^[238]

My current recommendation is to not prohibit access to secondary residences through legal order, but to continue to provide communications that discourage their use.

Premier Doug Ford weighed in and said that he would not take responsibility:

You have to give a little leniency. If you put down the hammer and say you just aren't coming, well, people aren't going to listen. Be prepared, people are coming up on May 24.

Canadian Armed Forces Brigadier General C. J. J. Mialkowski filed a report on conditions in the five Toronto-area nursing homes, in which they were assisting, on May 14. It did not reach the Defence Minister until a week later, after which there was a delay in notifying the Province of Ontario. The document alleges extreme conditions and abuse.^[173]

With the weather getting warmer, on Saturday, May 23, 2020, estimates of 10,000 mostly young people grouped into Trinity Bellwoods Park in Toronto's west end.^[239] Public outrage ensued as well as condemnation from Premier Ford and Toronto's medical officer of health Eileen de Villa.^[240][241] After making a tour of the city's parks, speaking with citizens, Mayor John Tory was also seen at the park and was criticized for lack of social distancing and improperly wearing a mask.^[242] He publicly apologized for his actions to the following day.^[242] No social distancing fines were placed, however, there were several issued for public urination.^[243] Police presence was increased the following day to prevent any subsequent large gatherings.^[244] The following week, 'social distancing circles' were painted on the lawn in the park modelled after similar tactics used in San Francisco and New York City.^[245]

On May 30, the Ontario government announced a "COVID-19 recovery rate" for electricity effective June 1 to October 31.^[246][247] The new rate of 12.8 cents per kilowatt-hour replaces the "off-peak" rate of 10.1 cents per kilowatt hour that was in effect since March 24.^[248]

Date	Cases		Recoveries		Deaths		Hospitalizations			Sources
	New	Total	New	Total	New	Total	Total	ICU	Ventilators
1	404	28,263	-	22,153	10	2,276	781	125	89	[249][250]
2	446	28,709	-	22,484	17	2,293	801	125	87	[251][252]
3	338	29,047	-	22,811	19	2,312	791	127	92	[253][254]
4	356	29,403	-	23,208	45	2,357	776	121	94	[255][256]
5	344	29,747	-	23,583	15	2,372	749	118	94	[257][258]
6	455	30,202	-	23,947	35	24,07	673	117	97	[259][260]
7	415	30,617	-	24,252	19	2,426	635	117	92	[261][262]
8	243	30,860	-	24,492	24	2,450	603	118	81	[263][264]
9	230	31,090	-	24,829	14	2,464	600	116	88	[265][266]
10	251	31,341	-	25,380	11	2,475	580	118	86	[267][268]
11	203	31,544	-	25,855	12	2,487	538	120	87	[269][270]
12	182	31,726	-	26,187	11	2,498	527	114	-	[271][272]
13	266	31,992	-	26,538	9	2,507	489	110	68	[273][274]
14	197	32,189	-	26,961	12	2,519	438	103	77	[275][276]
15	181	32,370	-	27,213	8	2,527	419	104	69	[277][278]
16	184	32,554	-	27,431	11	2,538	413	98	70	[279][280]
17	190	32,744	-	27,784	12	2,550	383	92	65	[281][282]
18	173	32,917	-	28,004	3	2,553	351	84	60	[283][284]
19	178	33,095	-	28,250	11	2,564	331	82	65	[285][286]
20	206	33,301	218	28,468	31	2,595	333	80	63	[287][288]
21	175	33,476	-	28,719	11	2,606	286	86	59	[289][290]
22	161	33,367	-	28,933	3	2,609	265	76	58	[291][292]
23	216	33,853	-	29,107	10	2,619	288	75	54	[293][294]
24	163	34,016	-	29,336	12	2,631	278	73	48	[295][296]
25	189	34,205	-	29,528	10	2,641	270	69	47	[297][298]
26	111	34,316	-	29,754	3	2,644	256	61	41	[299][300]
27	160	34,376	-	29,932	8	2,652	252	54	35	[301][302]
28	178	34,654	-	30,107	6	2,658	214	51	36	[303][304]
29	257	34,911	-	30,196	7	2,665	232	46	35	[305][306]
30	157	35,068	-	30,344	7	2,672	213	42	34	[307][308]

On June 1, Premier Doug Ford announced that the province will extend the state of emergency for another 28 days past the current expiration date of June 2, 2020.^[309]

On June 4, Ontario Minister of Economic Development Vic Fedeli announced the resumption of non-essential short-term rentals for "lodges, cabins, cottages, homes, condominiums and B&Bs" from June 5.^[310][311]

On June 24, Ontario extended the state of emergency to July 15 and Premier Ford stated that he is "hopeful that another extension of the Declaration of Emergency will not be needed."^[312][313]

On June 29, after an extended period of provincial decline in new cases, extensive testing done in Windsor-Essex revealed a spike in numbers amongst migrant agriculture workers, including one farm being responsible for 175 cases.^[314]

Date	Cases		Recoveries		Deaths		Hospitalizations			Sources
	New	Total	New	Total	New	Total	Total	ICU	Ventilators
1	149	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	[315][316]
2	153	35,370	-	30,730	8	2,680	119	40	26	[315][316]
3	165	35,535	-	30,909	2	2,682	155	40	25	[317][318]
4	121	35,656	174	31,083	5	2,687	150	39	26	[319][320]
5	138	35,794	183	31,266	2	2,689	139	39	23	[321][322]
6	154	35,948	-	31,426	0	2,689	118	36	21	[323][324]
7	112	36,060	-	31,603	2	2,691	131	34	24	[325][326]
8	118	36,178	-	31,805	9	2,700	123	35	26	[327][328]
9	170	36,348	-	31,977	3	2,703	123	31	23	[329][330]
10	116	36,464	-	32,155	7	2,710	117	34	24	[331][332]
11	130	36,594	267	32,422	6	2,716	128	31	18	[333][334]
12	129	36,723	-	32,534	3	2,719	116	29	19	[335][336]
13	116	36,839	-	32,663	3	2,722	104	28	20	[337][338]
14	111	36,950	122	32,785	1	2,723	137	30	21	[339][340]
15	102	37,052	135	32,920	9	2,732	115	31	22	[341][342]
16	111	37,163	141	33,061	5	2,737	107	26	20	[343][344]
17	111	37,272	-	33,162	9	2,746	108	30	21	[345][346]
18	166	37,440	-	33,294	2	2,748	105	33	22	[347][348]
19	164	37,604	-	33,407	3	2,751	101	34	23	[349][350]
20	135	37,739	106	33,513	1	2,752	115	37	24	[351][352]
21	203	37,942	-	33,605	1	2,753	120	36	23	[353][354]
22	165	38,107	-	33,812	2	2,755	128	37	19	[355][356]
23	103	38,210	-	33,963	0	2,755	154	35	21	[357][358]
24	195	38,405	-	34,100	3	2,758	141	31	20	[359][360]
25	138	38,543	140	34,240	1	2,759	97	30	21	[361][362]
26	137	38,680	-	34,359	4	2,763	87	29	21	[363][364]
27	119	38,799	-	34,461	1	2,764	82	30	18	[365][366]
28	111	38,910	-	34,567	4	2,768	96	31	18	[367][368]
29	76	38,986	-	34,741	1	2,769	91	28	17	[369][370]
30	89	39,075	-	34,906	3	2,772	84	27	16	[371][372]
31	134	39,209	-	35,074	3	2,775	78	29	15	[373][374]

On July 2, face masks were made mandatory to ride on the Toronto Transit Commission's services in Toronto.^[375]

On July 7, face masks were made mandatory in Toronto indoor public spaces.^[376]

On July 8, the Ontario government extended the state of emergency for another week, until July 22.^[377]

On July 16, the government announced that provincial emergency orders will be extended until July 29.^[378]

On July 17, the province entered Stage 3 of reopening except for the Golden Horseshoe, Haldimand-Norfolk, Lambton, and Windsor-Essex.^[379]

On July 21 the Ford government passed "Bill 195", the Reopening Ontario Act, which allowed the Lieutenant Governor in Council powers to continue for up to two years the orders made by this body under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, which has a sunset clause of 30 days.^[380][381]

On July 24, the province allowed Durham Region, Halton Region, Hamilton, Niagara Region, Haldimand-Norfolk, Lambton, and York Region to enter Stage 3 reopening.^[382]

On July 31, the province allowed Toronto and Peel Region to enter Stage 3 reopening.^[383]

Date	Cases		Recoveries		Deaths		Hospitalizations			Sources
	New	Total	New	Total	New	Total	Total	ICU	Ventilators
1	124	39,333	163	35,237	2	2,777	73	27	12	[384][385]
2	116	39,449	122	35,359	1	2,778	72	26	14	[386][387]
3	88	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	[388][389]
4	91	39,268	242	35,601	4	2,782	78	28	15	[388][389]
5	86	39,714	-	35,747	0	2,782	66	30	15	[390][391]
6	95	39,809	-	35,906	1	2,783	71	29	13	[392][393]
7	88	39,897	-	36,024	0	2,783	66	28	12	[394][395]
8	70	39,967	107	36,131	1	2,784	53	27	12	[396][397]
9	79	40,046	148	36,279	2	2,786	55	26	12	[398][399]
10	115	40,161	102	36,381	0	2,786	55	25	14	[400][401][402]
11	33	40,194	75	36,456	0	2,786	60	21	12	[403][404]
12	95	40,289	134	36,590	1	2,787	49	20	10	[405][406]
13	78	40,367	99	36,689	0	2,787	43	20	10	[407][408]
14	92	40,459	83	36,772	1	2,788	41	17	9	[409][410]
15	106	40,565	-	36,873	1	2,789	39	17	10	[411][412]
16	81	40,646	-	36,953	0	2,789	37	18	9	[413][414]
17	99	40,745	-	37,036	0	2,789	32	16	10	[415][416]
18	125	40,870	-	37,126	4	2,793	41	15	10	[417][418]
19	102	40,972	89	37,215	-1	2,792	42	15	10	[419][420]
20	76	41,048	76	37,291	1	2,793	35	15	8	[421][422]
21	131	41,179	106	37,397	3	2,796	35	13	7	[423][424]
22	108	41,287	90	37,487	1	2,797	40	13	7	[425][426]
23	115	41,402	108	37,595	1	2,797	41	11	6	[427][428]
24	105	41,507	78	37,673	1	2,798	40	12	7	[429][430]
25	106	41,607	-	37,748	2	2,800	39	13	10	[431][432]
26	88	41,695	115	37,863	2	2,802	43	15	10	[433][434]
27	118	41,813	77	37,940	1	2,803	48	18	10	[435][436]
28	122	41,935	83	38,023	6	2,809	61	18	12	[437][438]
29	148	42,083	-	38,126	0	2,809	51	17	5	[439][440]
30	112	42,195	-	38,204	1	2,810	51	20	10	[441][442]
31	114	42,309	-	38,277	1	2,811	49	18	9	[443][444]

On August 12, the province allowed Windsor-Essex to enter Stage 3 of reopening, the final region to do so.^[445] By late-August, the rate of new cases had slowed significantly, along with the rest of the country, with periodic spikes.^[446]

Date	Cases		Recoveries		Deaths		Hospitalizations			Sources
	New	Total	New	Total	New	Total	Total	ICU	Ventilators
1	112	42,421	-	38,369	1	2,812	65	17	5	[447]
2	133	42,554	137	38,506	0	2,812	60	13	9	[448][449]
3	132	42,686	119	38,625	0	2,812	60	12	9	[450]
4	148	42,834	116	38,741	-1	2,811	66	13	8	[451]
5	169	43,003	-	38,847	0	2,811	58	14	8	[452]
6	158	43,161	-	38,958	2	2,813	52	15	9	[453]
7	190	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	[454]
8	185	43,536	238	39,196	0	2,813	54	17	7	[454][455]
9	149	43,685	136	39,332	0	2,813	55	15	8	[456]
10	170	43,855	142	39,474	1	2,814	54	14	9	[457]
11	213	44,068	124	39,598	-1	2,813	49	18	9	[458]
12	232	44,300	-	39,717	1	2,814	43	12	8	[459]
13	204	44,504	-	39,841	1	2,815	39	14	9	[460]
14	313	44,817	-	39,974	1	2,816	47	17	8	[461]
15	251	45,068	117	40,091	4	2,820	47	19	11	[462]
16	315	45,383	154	40,245	2	2,822	44	20	12	[463]
17	293	45,676	179	40,424	3	2,825	53	21	12	[464]
18	401	46,077	176	40,600	0	2,825	58	20	10	[465]
19	407	46,484	-	40,777	1	2,826	64	20	10	[466]
20	365	46,849	-	40,968	1	2,827	63	23	10	[467]
21	425	47,274	178	41,146	2	2,829	65	22	12	[468]
22	478	47,752	196	41,342	3	2,832	82	24	11	[469]
23	335	48,087	258	41,600	3	2,835	88	24	9	[470]
24	409	48,496	286	41,886	1	2,836	88	27	11	[471]
25	409	48,905	283	42,169	1	2,837	87	25	13	[472]
26	435	49,340	-	42,507	0	2,837	100	28	15	[473]
27	491	49,831	-	42,796	2	2,839	112	28	16	[474]
28	700	50,531	331	43,127	1	2,840	128	29	17	[475][476]
29	554	51,085	323	43,450	4	2,844	137	30	16	[477]
30	625	51,710	457	43,907	4	2,848	150	35	17	[478]

After a considerable increase in new cases (the largest influx since late July) in late summer, the Ford government on September 8 announced it would put a four-week hold on the further lifting of restrictions.^[479] It was also the heavily debated first day of public school for many parts of the province, with at least COVID-19 cases reported in Ottawa-area Catholic schools and teachers in a Mississauga Catholic school refusing work until proper personal protective equipment was provided.^[480][481]

On September 10, Premier Ford criticized the federal government for not actively enforcing the Quarantine Act.^[482] Continuing an upward trend of new infections, on September 11, Ontario had its highest daily rate of new infections since June 29.^[483]

On September 11, the Ontario government released a website to track COVID-19 cases in public schools.^[484]

On September 13, the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) stated that the province was "losing ground" due to the recent surge in cases, mainly centred on Toronto, Peel Region and Ottawa.^[485] Ontario reached over 300 new daily cases on September 14, the highest daily increase since June 5.^[486] On September 17, the province announced new restrictions on the size of private and "unmonitored" gatherings in the three regions.^[485]

On September 18, the province had over 400 new cases, the highest number since June 2.^[487]

On September 22, the province saw an increase of 478 cases, the highest daily increase since May 2. The Ford government announced they had ordered 5.1 million flu shots, encouraging the Ontario public to be vaccinated this year to avoid further burdening the hospital system.^[488] In an effort to reduce the burden on provincial assessment centres, the province began to expand testing at local pharmacies (beginning primarily within current hotspots) and encourage asymptomatic patients to obtain appointments at them instead of assessment centres.^[489][490] On September 25, new province-wide restrictions were introduced on operating hours for bars and restaurants, restricting the sale of alcohol to an 11 pm last call, and the closure of the establishment at midnight. All strip clubs were ordered fully closed.^[491]

On September 28, Ontario reported 700 new cases, its highest daily record throughout the pandemic. Premier Ford explained that "we know that we are in the second wave and we know that it will be worse than the first wave but what we don't know yet is how bad the second wave will be." The OHA proposed that Toronto and Ottawa be rolled back to Phase 2 restrictions (which would, among other restrictions, order the closure of bars and restaurants to indoor dining), citing evidence that indoor dining was a "significant driver" of rising cases. The OHA stated that "without public health measures in place to limit opportunities for disease transmission, Ontario will soon see higher numbers of hospitalizations, admissions to intensive care units and more death."^[492]

Date	Cases		Recoveries		Deaths		Hospitalizations			Sources
	New	Total	New	Total	New	Total	Total	ICU	Ventilators
1	538	52,248	-	44,422	3	2,851	162	37	17	[493]
2	732	52,980	428	44,850	74	2,927	167	38	21	[494]
3	653	53,633	-	45,285	41	2,968	155	41	23	[495]
4	566	54,199	-	45,819	7	2,975	169	-	-	[496]
5	615	54,814	-	46,360	5	2,980	176	43	26	[497]
6	548	55,362	546	46,906	7	2,987	192	41	26	[498][499]
7	583	55,945	707	47,613	1	2,988	195	42	28	[500]
8	797	56,742	695	48,308	4	2,992	206	47	29	[501][502]
9	939	57,681	724	49,032	5	2,997	225	47	29	[503][504]
10	809	58,490	700	49,732	6	3,004	213	48	29	[505]
11	649	59,139	705	50,437	1	3,005	217	51	32	[506]
12	807	-	668	-	3	-	-	-	-	[507][508]
13	746	60,692	624	51,729	9	3,017	230	60	34	[507][508]
14	721	61,413	783	52,512	0	3,017	231	64	35	[509]
15	783	62,196	779	53,291	5	3,022	253	62	31	[510]
16	712	62,908	713	54,004	9	3,031	261	67	36	[511]
17	805	63,713	682	54,686	10	3,041	278	72	42	[512]
18	658	64,371	685	55,371	5	3,046	247	71	43	[513]
19	704	65,075	607	55,978	4	3,050	252	69	40	[514]
20	821	65,896	628	56,606	3	3,053	274	72	45	[515]
21	790	66,686	719	57,325	9	3,062	260	71	49	[516]
22	841	67,527	741	58,066	9	3,071	270	74	48	[517]
23	826	68,353	733	58,799	9	3,080	276	78	47	[518]
24	978	69,331	-	59,424	6	3,086	294	82	53	[519]
25	1,042	70,373	736	60,160	7	3,093	278	79	54	[520]
26	851	71,224	679	60,839	6	3,099	295	78	51	[521]
27	827	72,051	691	61,530	4	3,103	312	75	52	[522]
28	834	72,885	773	62,303	5	3,108	312	71	51	[523]
29	934	73,819	820	63,123	10	3,118	322	77	52	[524]
30	896	74,715	796	63,919	9	3,127	314	75	52	[525]
31	1,015	75,730	798	64,717	9	3,136	320	73	54	[526]

On October 2, Ontario announced 732 new cases — its largest increase to-date. The testing backlog increased significantly to over 90,000 tests. A one-time increase of 74 deaths was also added, due to a "data review" by Toronto Public Health accounting for deaths from earlier that had not yet been included in the provincial total.^[527]

Amid these spikes, Ford announced that new capacity limits on bars, event facilities, gyms, and restaurants would be implemented in the hotspots of Peel, Ottawa, and Toronto, and a province-wide mandate on the wearing of face masks when social distancing is not possible, would take effect on October 3. He also announced that provincial testing centres would be limited to appointments only in order to manage their testing capacity and that the moratorium on reduced restrictions would be extended for another four weeks. Ford urged residents of the province to limit contact with people from outside their immediate household (especially during the Thanksgiving holiday), explaining that "we're in a second wave of COVID-19 and as Premier it's my duty to protect the people."^[528][529]

On October 9, Ontario announced that Peel, Ottawa, and Toronto would be rolled back to Modified Stage 2 for 28 days from October 10. This came as the province surpassed its daily record of new cases for the second consecutive day. Province-wide, the government also recommended that residents stay home except for essential activities, and avoid non-essential interprovincial travel (especially to and from hotspots).^[530] On October 16, Premier Ford announced that York Region will also be rolled back to Modified Stage 2 for 28 days from October 19.^[531]

On October 19, Ontario recommended that children and their families not go out trick-or-treating in those parts of the province that have been hardest hit by a resurgence in COVID-19 cases.^[532]

On October 24, Ontario reported 978 new infections, creating a new daily high record during the pandemic, the next day on October 25, the record was broken once again with 1,042 new cases.^[533][534]

Date	Cases		Recoveries		Deaths		Hospitalizations			Sources
	New	Total	New	Total	New	Total	Total	ICU	Ventilators
1	977	76,707	864	37,100	9	3,145	350	72	46	[535]
2	948	77,655	826	66,407	7	3,152	328	75	45	[536]
3	1,050	78,705	837	67,244	14	3,166	357	73	47	[537]
4	987	76,692	945	68,189	16	3,182	367	75	44	[538]
5	998	80,690	968	69,137	13	3,195	381	86	48	[539]
6	1,003	81,693	949	70,086	14	3,209	380	86	49	[540]
7	1,132	82,825	852	70,938	11	3,220	384	88	52	[541]
8	1,328	84,153	877	71,815	13	3,233	374	N/A	N/A	[542]
9	1,242	85,395	821	72,636	12	3,245	367	84	54	[543]
10	1,388	86,783	781	73,417	15	3,260	422	82	54	[544]
11	1,426	88,209	886	74,303	15	3,275	424	88	57	[545]
12	1,575	89,784	917	75,220	18	3,293	431	98	62	[546]
13	1,396	91,180	1,018	76,238	19	3,312	452	106	67	[547]
14	1,581	92,761	1,003	77,241	20	3,322	502	107	66	[548]
15	1,248	94,009	-	78,303	29	3,361	479	118	67	[549]
16	1,487	95,496	992	79,295	10	3,371	500	125	70	[550]
17	1,249	96,745	1,135	80,430	12	3,383	529	127	75	[551]
18	1,417	98,162	1,495	81,925	32	3,415	535	127	78	[552]
19	1,210	99,372	1,376	83,301	28	3,443	526	146	88	[553]
20	1,418	100,790	1,415	84,716	8	3,451	518	142	92	[554]
21	1,588	102,378	1,363	86,079	21	3,472	513	146	87	[555]
22	1,534	103,912	1,429	87,508	14	3,486	484	147	89	[556]
23	1,589	105,501	1,484	88,902	19	3,505	507	156	92	[557]
24	1,009	106,510	1,082	90,074	14	3,519	534	159	91	[558]
25	1,373	107,883	1,476	91,550	35	3,554	523	159	106	[559]
26	1,478	109,361	1,365	92,915	21	3,575	556	151	105	[560]
27	1,855	111,216	1,451	94,366	20	3,595	541	151	101	[561]
28	1,822	113,038	1,510	95,876	29	3,624	595	155	99	[562][563]
29	1,708	114,746	1,443	97,319	24	3,648	586	N/A	N/A	[564]
30	1,746	116,492	1,320	98,639	8	3,656	618	168	108	[565]

With Modified Stage 2 expected to end in Peel, Ottawa, and Toronto on November 7, Premier Ford announced on November 3, that the province would shift to a five-tier system to determine restrictions and mitigations on a regional basis. Under the new system, Ottawa, Peel, and York regions will be moved to the new third tier on the scale, "Restrict" (orange) at this time. By request of Mayor John Tory, this change was delayed in Toronto until November 14. Restaurants and bars will be allowed to reopen at all tiers of the scale besides the highest level ("Lockdown"), but subject to varying capacity limits.^[566][567]

On November 6, Premier Ford announced that Peel Region will not be moving to the "Restrict" (orange) tier, and will be moving to the "Control" (red) tier. The region has experienced the second-highest number of regional cases in the province, next to the cases in Toronto.^[568]

On November 7, the new "Response Framework" system went in place, with the exception of Toronto.^[569] The following day, on November 8, a new record high was set once again with 1328 new cases.^[570]

On November 10, Premier Ford announced Toronto would move to the "Control" (red) tier beginning November 14. The municipality proceeded to enact even more stringent restrictions than the provincial tier for a minimum of 28 days.^[571]

On November 12, new projections were released by the province. With a 3% growth rate, daily cases would increase to 2,500 and at 5% 6,500 by mid-December. Intensive care unit capacity in the province will exceed capacity in six-weeks if more measures are not put in place, warned the new projections.^[572][573]

On November 13, the provincial government announced changes to the Ontario COVID-19 Response Framework, lowering the metrics for regions to be moved into more stringent restriction categories. Halton Region, York Region, and Hamilton would be moving into the "Control" (red) tier beginning November 16, Durham Region, Brant County, Eastern Ontario, Niagara, Ottawa, Waterloo, Wellington-Dufferin, and Guelph would be moving into the "Restrict" (orange) tier, and Haldimand-Norfolk, Huron-Perth, Middlesex-London, Simcoe-Muskoka District, Southwestern Ontario, and Windsor-Essex would be moving into the "Protect" (yellow) tier.^[574]

From November 3 to 14, Ontario recorded consecutive record-breaking numbers of daily new infections province-wide.^{[575][576][577][578]}

On November 20, Premier Ford announced that Peel Region and Toronto will be placed under Lockdown effective November 23. All dine-in restaurants, gyms, personal care services, and otherwise non-essential businesses will be ordered closed.^[579]

On November 27, Ontario reported a new record-breaking day of new cases with 1,855 new infections reported. The record high also coincided with a new record for most tests completed at 58,037.^[580]

Date	Cases		Recoveries		Deaths		Hospitalizations			Sources
	New	Total	New	Total	New	Total	Total	ICU	Ventilators
1	1,707	118,199	1,373	100,012	7	3,663	645	185	112	[581]
2	1,723	119,922	1,686	101,698	35	3,698	654	183	106	[582]
3	1,824	121,746	1,541	103,239	14	3,712	666	195	107	[583]
4	1,780	123,526	1,553	104,792	25	3,737	674	207	116	[584]
5	1,859	125,385	1,624	106,416	20	3,757	709	202	116	[585]
6	1,924	127,309	1,574	107,990	15	3,772	701	204	109	[586]
7	1,925	129,234	1,412	109,402	26	3,798	725	213	121	[587]
8	1,676	130,910	1,549	110,951	10	3,808	794	219	132	[588]
9	1,890	132,800	1,924	-	28	3,836	811	221	129	[589]
10	1,983	134,783	1,804	114,679	35	3,871	829	228	132	[590]
11	1,848	136,631	-	116,432	45	3,916	808	235	124	[591]
12	1,873	138,504	1,918	118,350	17	3,933	855	237	143	[592]
13	1,677	140,181	1,678	120,028	16	3,949	813	253	142	[593]
14	1,940	142,121	1,535	121,563	23	3,972	857	244	149	[594]
15	2,275	144,396	-	123,373	20	,3992	921	249	156	[595]
16	2,139	146,535	2,043	125,416	43	4,035	932	256	157	[596]
17	2,432	148,967	2,009	127,425	23	4,058	919	263	172	[597]
18	2,290	151,257	-	129,417	11	4,098	877	261	168	[598]
19	2,357	153,614	1,992	131,282	27	4,125	895	256	146	[599]
20	2,316	155,930	1,931	133,213	25	4,150	875	261	156	[600]
21	2,123	158,053	-	155,930	17	4,167	915	265	152	[601]
22	2,202	160,255	1,900	136,767	21	4,188	1,005	273	172	[602]
23	2,408	162,663	2,243	139,010	41	4,229	1,002	275	186	[603]
24	2,447	165,110	2,013	141,023	49	4,278	967	277	176	[604]
25	2,159	-	998	-	43	-	998	280	156	[605]
26	2,142	169,411	755	145,173	38	4,359	755	286	187	[605]
27	2,005	171,416	2,005	147,178	18	4,377	823	285	194	[606]
28	1,939	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	[607]
29	2,550	175,908	-	151,562	78	4,455	864	304	207	[607]
30	2,923	178,831	2,237	153,799	19	4,474	1,177	323	300	[608]
31	3,328	182,159	-	156,012	56	4,530	1,235	337	210	[609]

On December 4, Ontario's ICU capacity had peaked at 203, a threshold of 150 is determined to be the number at which the province is at critical mass, affecting health services as a whole.^[610]

On December 5 and 6 and again on December 9 and 10^[611] Ontario broke records for daily new infections.^[612]

On December 9, Health Canada approved the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for use in Canada.^[613] On December 10, it was announced the first doses of the vaccine in Ontario will be administered to healthcare workers in the University Health Network in Toronto and The Ottawa Hospital in Ottawa beginning December 15.^[614]

On December 11, it was announced that the York and Windsor-Essex regions would move to the "Lockdown" category of the response framework effective December 14, while Middlesex-London, Simcoe Muskoka and Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph were moved to the "Control" category.^{[615][616][617]}

On December 14, nationwide distribution began for the first Canadian shipment of the BioNTech vaccine, with Ontario vaccinations beginning distribution with health care workers in Ottawa and Toronto. Anita Quidangen, a personal support worker from Toronto, was the first health care worker in Canada to receive a dose.^[618][619]

From December 15 to 17, Ontario saw consecutive daily new infection records of COVID-19.^[620][621] On December 18, it was announced that Hamilton would be moved to "Lockdown" effective December 21.^[622]

On December 18, the Ontario Superior Court "dismissed an attempt by Hudson's Bay Company to have the province's lockdown restrictions struck down or modified to allow its stores to open alongside competitors such as Walmart and Costco which are permitted to open because they sell essential items including groceries."^[623][624]

On December 21, Premier Ford announced that a "strict" Provincewide Shutdown would take effect at 12:1 December 26 (Boxing Day). The lockdown will take effect for 28 days in Southern Ontario (south of Sudbury), and 14 days in the northern regions of the province. All publicly funded schools were to remain closed to in-person classes until at least January 11, when elementary and secondary schools in the north, and elementary schools in the south were expected to return to in-person classes. Secondary schools were to return to in-person classes on January 25. The province is recommending residents to remain home unless performing an essential activity, and against non-essential interregional travel. The province is also recommending 14 days self-isolation if returning from travel from outside of Ontario.^{[625][626][627]}

Criticism was fronted toward the government rollout of vaccinations over the winter holidays. Vaccinations were paused during statutory holidays. As of the afternoon of December 24, 2020, Ontario had only administered 10,756 vaccine doses of a total 90,000 received by the federal government.^{[628][629][630]} The government officially blamed staff shortages for the cessation of vaccinations.^[629] Head of the vaccine taskforce Rick Hillier later admitted the cessation was a "mistake".^[631]

On December 29, 2020, news broke that Ontario Finance Minister Rod Phillips had travelled to Saint Barthélemy for a winter vacation, despite government guidance against non-essential international travel.^[632] Premier Ford acknowledged he was aware of Phillips' travel.^[632] Phillips had also travelled for non-essential purposes to Switzerland in August, 2020.^[633] Due to the incident, upon returning to Canada on December 31, Phillips resigned as Finance Minister.^[634]

Ontario saw consecutive daily record high numbers of new infections from December 29 to 31, 2020 at 2,553 new cases,^[635] and 2,923 new cases and 3,328 new cases respectively.^[636][637]