Mayor's Report on the COVID-19 Emergency pursuant to Municipal Code Chapter 59, Emergency Management

Her advice then, which it remains now, was that we needed as many people to stay home as much as possible, to get all people in the city to keep their distance from one another, to protect the vulnerable, and to keep from overwhelming our health care system. In order to protect the health of the city and save lives, we took action. I declared a municipal emergency - the first time in the City's history - to allow us to respond quickly and decisively to the pandemic. To make sure we would always be able to make the quick decisions needed during this crisis. While we know this health emergency continues and it will continue for some time, we are making progress and just last week we had reason to have cautious optimism that we are slowing the spread of COVID-19 and thanks largely to the physical distancing efforts of Toronto residents, we are saving thousands of lives. But this month has not been without tragedy. COVID-19 is leaving a devastating trail in our community. More than 274 residents have died, leaving behind loved ones and friends. We mourn with these grieving families and we remain committed to preventing as much loss of life as possible during this global pandemic. During this emergency, Toronto residents and businesses have risen to the challenge and embraced Dr. de Villa's wise words: stay home, stay safe, and take care of each other. I want to thank the hundreds of thousands of Toronto residents who have done the right and the responsible thing and helped us in this ongoing war to flatten the curve and defeat this virus. They have saved lives. And by continuing to do the right thing and stay home as much as possible, they are continuing to save lives. I am so proud of this City government and this City Council and how it has responded to this ongoing emergency. In the face of all of these challenges, so much good work at wartime speed has been done by Dr. de Villa and her public health team, the emergency operations centre led by Chief Matthew Pegg, and staff across each and every city division under the leadership of our City Manager Chris Murray. In responding to this emergency, these individuals and their teams have represented the very best of public service, and have worked tirelessly for weeks to ensure this city remains safe, and that we continue to provide critical services for our residents in these uncertain times. This report provides an update on the ongoing emergency and a path forward that will ensure the City government can continue to respond to the emergency, administer other necessary City business, and ensure our focus remains on protecting the health of all our residents and saving lives. We're all in this together and it's only by working together that we can beat COVID-19.