Premier Doug Ford clarifies stance on Thanksgiving gatherings
Posted October 7, 2020 2:23 pm.
Last Updated October 7, 2020 2:52 pm.
Premier Doug Ford is attempting to clear things up after a couple days of mixed messaging about gathering sizes ahead of Thanksgiving.
On Tuesday, Ford contradicted himself on the topic of how many family members are allowed to gather in a household, later sending a tweet to clarify the matter.
During Wednesday’s daily briefing, Ford owned up to the omission.
“I’d like to make something very clear: This Thanksgiving, we’re asking that you spend the holiday with just your household. That means sitting down for dinner with the people you live with,” the Premier said.
“We all have to make sacrifices to curve the spread of COVID-19.”
Ford says Thanksgiving is normally the time to gather with family and friends, but these aren’t normal times.
“In the United States and the 4th of July, and here at home, on the Civic Holiday and Labour Day, we saw people relax and let their guard down,” Ford said.
“As a result, we saw the numbers spike in cases and contacts so, for this Thanksgiving weekend, it’s not enough to limit the size of the gatherings – we need to stick within the household.”
Government and health officials in Ontario, such as Patty Hajdu and Dr. David Williams, have suggested virtual gatherings for the holiday, and or limiting the amount of family members as much as possible.
Ontario reported 583 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday.
