Many are upset by the Ontario data on where infections are occurring, but remember the context. Toronto was not able to contact trace. Public health had to take a gamble - primary prevention - in order to prevent an event that could lead to widescale spread
1/n

This is what happened around the same time at SpinCo in Hamilton. For the most part our city has been able to get it under control. But imagine this going off in downtown Toronto. If you're not doing effective contact tracing you'll only get a few of these cases picked up
2/n

Those secondary cases would transmit to tertiary spaces, set off more workplace outbreaks, infiltrate schools, LTC facilities, healthcare etc - and set off more outbreaks. What has been largely managed well in Hamilton would have been a disaster in Toronto
3/n

All this to say - the questions that those angry about these closures should be asking isn't why we closed - it should be why public health units like aren't resourced enough to deal with the crisis - and demand that funds and personnel be transferred immediately
4/n

With 50 contacts per person and ~350 cases a day in Toronto - even accounting for 45 minutes for the case and 15 minutes for contacts, plus another 2 hours for data entry - you'd need 15 hours per case. Add to that the pattern recognition in discovering community outbreaks 5/n

So what choice did the province have in the hotspots - look to other jurisdictions in Canada and the USA that had experience on where things were transmitting - articles such as these:
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6936a5.htm
6/n

Every business should be afforded the ability to try to operate, and there does need to be a plan to open, even if rates remain high. But having a robust public health response to tracing is a part of that. If it's not there we're flying into the storm without navigation system