341 new coronavirus cases, 27 deaths reported in Ontario

By News Staff and The Canadian Press

Ontario confirms 341 new cases of novel coronavirus today. There were 345 cases yesterday.

Health Minister Christine Elliott said 258 cases were originally reported yesterday, but 87 cases were missed due to a one-time data upload issue.

The adjusted numbers mean that the growth rate of new cases has been a steady 1.6 per cent over the past three days.

Twenty-seven more people have died, bringing the total death count to 1,825. According to the Ministry of Long Term Care, 1320 people have died in long-term care. Public Health Ontario reports that 823 deaths were in long-term care – a discrepancy attributed to a lag in reported deaths.

The provincial total of confirmed cases now stands at 21,922 with 75.9 per cent considered resolved.

There were 18,354 total tests completed yesterday and another 14,373 remain under investigation.

The number of people in hospital with COVID-19 dropped sharply, from 1,026 to 986, and the amount of people in intensive care and on ventilators decreased too.

Premier Doug Ford indicated Friday in his daily press conference he won’t be putting a freeze on commercial evictions, but is pleading with landlords to “have a heart.”

Ontario has effectively banned residential evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, and many business groups and opposition parties have been calling on the province to do the same for commercial tenants.

The calls have been growing louder as Saturday approaches – the day when landlords could change the locks on businesses for non-payment of May’s rent.

But Ford says there could be legal implications if the government wades into long-term lease contracts.

He says he is pleading with landlords to be flexible, and notes that under a federal-provincial rent relief program, landlords would still get 75 per cent of the rent, as opposed to zero if they just lock out a tenant.

Ford says “vicious landlords” drive him crazy and that property owners should support their commercial tenants at this time.

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