Province reports 111 new COVID cases today

Public Health Ontario has reported 111 new COVID-19 cases today. 

Since Sunday, the province has reported between 102 and 129 new cases every day. 

The 111 cases reported today include 64 people between 20 and 39 years old. There were 30 new cases reported in Toronto, 25 in Peel, and 15 in Ottawa.

The province's public health agency also confirmed five more deaths related to the coronavirus today, including one person between the ages of 40 and 59 years old, one person between 60 and 79 years old and three people aged 80 and over. 

Public Health Ontario has reported a total of 37,163 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the province since January. Of those, 2,737 people have died, which is 7.4 per cent of the total number of cases. More than 1,700 long-term care residents have died with COVID-19. 

The epidemiological update also includes 141 newly reported recoveries today, bringing the total number of recoveries to 33,061 for the province, which is 89 per cent of the total cases reported. 

There are now 1,365 active, lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ontario.

Tomorrow most health units in the province will move into Stage 3 of the Ontario reopening plan. In this stage, nearly all businesses and public spaces are permitted to reopen with workplace and public safety programs in place. 

The province is not allowing reopening of amusement and water parks, buffet-style food services, dancing at restaurants and bars, overnight stays at camps for children, private karaoke rooms, saunas, steam rooms, bathhouses, nor table games at casinos. Sports with deliberate and prolonged contact are also not permitted to relaunch. 

Gathering limits have been increased to allow 50 people to gather indoors and 100 people to gather outdoors, with physical distancing still required for all people not from the same household or social circle. 

The gathering limit of 30 per cent building capacity for indoor religious services, rites or ceremonies, weddings, and funerals will remain in place.

Outdoor playgrounds are also permitted to reopen. 

Ontario's government is also keeping 10 health units behind in Stage 2, including Durham, Haldimand-Norfolk, Halton, Hamilton, Lambton, Niagara, Peel, Toronto, Windsor-Essex, and York Region. The province will announce later when those ten areas can enter Stage 3 reopenings. 

Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit has reported 616 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the region to date, with 585 of those reported in Simcoe County.

Thirty-six people have died and the health unit has reported 560 recoveries. The incidence rate for Simcoe-Muskoka region is 103.6 cases per 100,000 people in the population. 

There are 18 active cases of COVID-19 in Simcoe County including three people hospitalized, according to the health unit's July 15 epidemiological report. 

Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit will enter Stage 3 of the province's reopening plan tomorrow. An order from the region's medical officer of health requires everyone entering or remaining in indoor public spaces in Simcoe County and Muskoka District to wear a fabric face covering that covers the nose, mouth and chin. 

*Incidence rate is number of cases per 100,000 people in the local population.