On March 1, 2020, Mayor John Tory announced that Toronto Public
Health was monitoring five (5) positive cases of the Coronavirus:
COVID-19 in Toronto. As of March 2, 2020, the Public Health Agency
of Canada ("PHAC") assessed the public
health risk associated with COVID-19 as low for Canada. The public
health risk is continually being reassessed as new information
becomes available.
Nevertheless, employers should be prepared for
employment-related issues and questions relating to the
Coronavirus. That being the case, it is important that employers
and employees alike (i) be reasonably educated about the issue,
(ii) be able to recognize the symptoms, and (iii) take reasonable
precautions to avoid unnecessary risk.