Doug Ford Is 'Hopeful' That Ontario's State Of Emergency Will End Next Month

It looks like your summer plans might not be cancelled after all. The government is expected to discuss extending the state of emergency until mid-July, but it doesn't mean the lockdown will last forever. In fact, Doug Ford has said that he is "hopeful" this will be the last time Ontario's state of emergency will be extended.

The provincial government tabled a motion on Wednesday to extend the emergency until mid-July.

The extension is scheduled to be debated in the legislature next week. If approved, Ontarians can see the state of emergency last until July 15.

"Last night, our government tabled a motion to extend the provincial state of emergency 15 days past the planned expiry date of June 30. [...] The motion is expected to be debated in the Legislature next week, with a vote following soon after," the premier's office told Narcity.

However, with the number of COVID-19 cases going down, Ford is hoping this will be the last time it will have to be extended. 

"Thanks to the collective efforts of every Ontarian, the COVID-19 trends in our province are moving in the right direction, and the Premier is hopeful that this will be the final extension," it added.

Ford's government had previously announced this week that emergency orders would also be extended until the end of the month to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in the province.

"Even though we're seeing decreasing infection rates with increased testing levels, we can't let our guard down just yet. We need to keep these emergency measures in place to support our frontline heroes, and we must all continue following the public health advice, so we can reopen more of the province safely and gradually," Ford said in a news release.

Over the past few days, Ontario has continued to report under 200 new COVID-19 cases a day, showing some of the lowest numbers we have seen since March. 

As the number of cases continues to drop, the government has continued to work towards reopening the province. 

A majority of the province has already entered stage two of the reopening plan. 

Under this stage, hair salons, patios and even outdoor pools are allowed to open their doors as long as proper safety protocols are followed. 

Ford has also announced that Ontarians are now able to hug 10 of their closest family members and friends thanks to the new social circle rules.