COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto

[4] Initial restrictions preventing essential businesses from operating (such as the closure of indoor dining and personal care services) continued through until June 24, 2020, when the government of Ontario allowed Toronto to enter Stage 2 of reopening.

On April 3, 2021, following an uptick in new cases in Ontario, (exacerbated by more aggressive variants of SARS-CoV-2) Toronto, along with the rest of the province entered a shutdown coupled with a stay-at-home order that lasted until June 2, 2021.

On May 9, 2022, Mayor John Tory announced the termination of Toronto's COVID-19 state of emergency after being in effect for 777 consecutive days, the longest for any major city in the world.

[14][15] 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.

[16] 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.

[20] On March 5, more cases in Ontario continued to emerge, including a Toronto man who presented himself to Sunnybrook Hospital and tested positive following travel to Iran.

[28] Public outrage ensued as well as condemnation from Premier Ford and Toronto's medical officer of health Eileen de Villa.

[29][30] After making a tour of the city's parks and speaking with citizens, Mayor John Tory was criticized for lack of social distancing and improperly wearing a mask.

[33] 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.

[34][35][36][37][38] On May 27, the Province announced they would be taking over five long-term care homes following a scathing report by the Canadian Armed Forces citing neglect and abuse.

[40] Protesters were encouraged to engage in social distancing and to wear face masks by Mayor Tory and Police Chief Mark Saunders.

[44] Dining room capacities would be reduced by 50 percent, tables cannot seat more than six people and staff will all be required to maintain a six-foot distance at all times from each other.

[44] Premier Ford, Mayor Tory and Dr. de Villa suggest that outdoor patios will most likely see a reopening before indoor dining areas.

This analysis includes statuses on viral trends, access to personal protective equipment (PPE), laboratory testing and health system capacity.

[70] On September 23, Mayor Tory stated that the city would extend its cancellation of all city-led and city-permitted outdoor special events through at least the end of 2020.

[72] On September 26, Toronto Public Health ordered three King Street bars and restaurants closed due to non-compliance of COVID-19 protocols including serving buffet-style food and being uncooperative with investigators.

[74] On October 2, Dr. Eileen de Villa recommended large closures in order to control the spread of the virus, especially relating to indoor dining in bars and restaurants.

[75][76] According to a report by The Globe and Mail, Toronto Public Health on October 2 decided to suspend contact tracing efforts due to an overwhelming number of new cases.

[77] On October 10, indoor dining in bars and restaurants was ordered closed along with the complete closure of gyms, movie theatres and casinos for 28 days by the provincial government in Toronto, Peel and Ottawa.

Schools and childcare would remain open while post-secondary education would move into virtual learning (with exceptions for those that require in-person training).

Before the morning of the 26th of November, Toronto Police Service moved to change the locks on his establishment, when Skelly managed to enter the building, and attempted to open his restaurant a third day.

[93] Skelly was released on a $50,000 bail[94] the following morning and required to stay 200 metres (660 ft) away from his businesses and to abstain from using social media.

[93] Neighbours of Adamson, like Great Lakes Brewery, were vocally against Skelly's protests and antics and complained that the police traffic affected their business.

[102] On January 5, the Toronto St. Patrick's Day Parade announced that it has been cancelled for the second year in a row, as the suspension of city-led and city-permitted major outdoor events has been extended through March 31, 2021.

[112] Following an uptick in cases and hospitalizations, on April 3 Premier Ford declared a state of emergency, and all regions of Ontario were placed under a second provincewide shutdown.

[6] In late July 2020, in anticipation of moving to Stage 3, city council made proposals to impose stronger safety measures compared to other Ontario regions.

[133] In November 2020, Toronto launched a Practice Safe 6ix public education campaign targeted at 18–40-year-old residents who might be "experiencing COVID-19 fatigue and who may have lost the sense of pandemic urgency.

[149] With the initial government-ordered closure of bars and restaurants (except for takeout, drive-through and delivery services), many began to face steep financial woes and were forced to close permanently.

The Blue Jays announced on February 18, 2021, that they would play their April and May homestands of the 2021 Major League Baseball (MLB) season in Dunedin, Florida at their spring training facility of TD Ballpark.