Toronto sets January date for city workers to return to the office, amid rising COVID-19 cases, Omicron uncertainty
Toronto will be back at work on the first day of the new year on Jan. 1, but some city workers are still not out of the office, amid rising COVID-19 cases and a long-running Omicron uncertainty.
The city of Toronto officially announced on Thursday, Jan. 3, that the first day of the new year will see “work to resume” at city hall.
“Work to resume will be on its way to our city hall on the first day of the new year,” Toronto Mayor John Tory said.
Tory made the announcement on a day when the city is set to release an index of cases of COVID-19 on the city’s downtown core.
According to the city’s website, the Omicron index is a “statistical snapshot of the city” taken on the first day of the year since the outbreak began in Toronto in late December.
Tory reiterated his position on Omicron earlier in the day.
“We will remain on our current trajectory, and the first day of the year will bring significant progress to our city on housing matters, and we’ll make that announcement in our city hall,” Tory said.
“We’re seeing positive signs of improvement (in the number of confirmed cases) in our city,” Tory said.
Earlier on Thursday, the city said that since the outbreak began, the number of positive cases of COVID-19 in city buildings had plummeted, with only 29 on Thursday — compared to 101 positive cases on the same date of last year.
City officials said COVID-19 is now the fourth-most common cause of emergency room visits in the city.
Tory also said in a news release that the city is moving forward with three development projects in the city’s downtown core, including the long-awaited Yonge and Dundas Square projects.
Tory said he’s been working with the Toronto-York Region health unit and the City of Toronto for some time on developing the Yonge and Dundas Square projects, which were approved by council in 2015.
The city said that each year at the new year, it releases data on cases of COVID-19 in
