Ontario Docs Slam The Government For Letting 10K People Attend Last Night's Raptors Game

On Tuesday, several Ontario doctors took to Twitter to express their confusion and disappointment with the government's new COVID-19 protocols for mass gatherings.

The outcry came after 10,000 people were permitted to attend last night's Raptors game amidst the province's current restrictions, which affect mass events, restaurants and even social gatherings. Currently, sporting events such as Raptors games are only allowed to operate at 50% capacity.

Dr. Andrew Boozary, a physician and the executive director of health and social policy at the University Health Network, was among those criticizing Ontario's logic, citing its lack of consideration for students returning to school in January.

"I do not know how we can reconcile 10k plus people in a stadium tonight for the Raptors and then have policy makers look at families with a straight face about a safe return to school in January," he tweeted.

Meanwhile, Dr. Amit Arya, the palliative care lead at Kensington Health in Toronto, attacked Ford's government for failing to prioritize the safety of residents in long-term care homes.

"It's shocking that our COVID policies are allowing 10,000 people to attend the Raptors game tonight while more and more seniors have to be confined to their rooms because of outbreaks in LTC. Does anyone else see anything wrong with this?"

Dr. Naheed Dosani, a palliative care physician and health justice activist, also spoke out, tweeting, "Strange how Ontario's approach to COVID is allowing 10,000 people to go to the Raptors game tonight while hospitalizations & ICU admissions are on the rise, LTC facilities are in outbreak and we are seriously considering closing schools."

The province reported 10,436 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, with 726 currently in hospital.

According to CP24, earlier this week, Premier Doug Ford also announced that his government would be deciding if students will return to in-person in January over the next few days.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.