page_title: COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario
section_title: March
hierarchical_section_title: COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario / Timeline / March
caption_attribution_description: English: COVID-19 highway sign in Toronto, March 2020
context_page_description: The COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario is an ongoing viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019, a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The first identified case of COVID-19 in Canada during the 2019–20 worldwide pandemic occurred in the Canadian province of Ontario after it arrived on January 22, 2020, when a man returned to Toronto from travel in China, including Wuhan; the case was announced on January 25 and by March 17 the province had cases spread through community transmission.
  On March 17, the Government of Ontario declared a state of emergency, ordering the closure of indoor recreational programs, public libraries, theatres, cinemas, private schools, daycares and the prohibition of all public gatherings of more than 50 people. Bars and restaurants however were allowed to remain open, but only for those that offer takeout and delivery services. By order of the province, starting March 24, non-essential businesses were closed and on March 30, a province-wide closure of all outdoor recreational amenities began.
context_section_description: On March 5, Ontario reported three more cases of the virus, for a total of 23 in the province, with cases in Toronto, Kitchener, and Mississauga being reported. The three cases came from Iran, Italy, and the Grand Princess cruise ship, respectively. It was also announced that another case in Ontario was resolved.
  Five cases, two imported from each of Iran and the Grand Princess, and one from Las Vegas, were reported on March 6. Four more cases were reported to have been imported from Colorado, Washington, D.C., France, and Germany on March 8, bringing the total to 32.
  On March 9, Ontario confirmed two new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number of cases in the province to 34. They are an octogenarian and a septuagenarian from Toronto having travelled to Iran, where cases of COVID-19 had multiplied in recent weeks.
  On March 10, a close contact of a previous case and a man who travelled to Switzerland were confirmed as Ontario's 35th and 36th case, respectively. Later the same day, a Sudbury man who attended the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) conference in Toronto on March 2–3 was confirmed as the 37th positive case, and the first in northern Ontario.
  On March 11, a 40-year-old man who recently travelled to Austria was confirmed as the first coronavirus case in Ottawa. The overall coronavirus case number in Ontario rose to 42 on the same day. On March 12, 17 new cases were confirmed including a baby boy who had recently visited the North York General Hospital in Toronto. That day, the total number of cases in Ontario increased to 59. On March 13, health officials reported 19 additional cases, bringing the number of cases to 79, and on the 14th, 24 more, making the total 103. On March 17, it was announced that a man in his 70s, who had died in Barrie, was the first death in Ontario as a result of COVID-19. On March 18, an undisclosed player for the Ottawa Senators hockey team was tested positive. That day, 23 new cases were confirmed in Ontario that day, bringing the total number of cases to 212.
  On March 12, the Government of Ontario announced publicly funded schools would be closed for an additional two weeks after March Break until April 5.
  On March 15, The Ontario Superior Court of Justice announced a suspension of most criminal matters, including trials until the end of May. On that same date the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation also announced that all casino resorts and facilities would close until further notice to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. 
  On March 17, Ontario Premier Doug Ford declared a province-wide state of emergency. This included prohibition of all public events of over 50 people (later reduced to 5 people on March 28), the closure of libraries, theatres, cinemas, private schools (in addition to publicly-funded schools which were already been ordered closed from March 14 until further notice) and daycares.  While most bars and restaurants were allowed remain open, however they can only offer takeout and delivery services (some restaurants have both walk-in and drive-thru takeout (if available) and delivery services, and some restaurants such as McDonald's Canada and Wendy's are drive-thru takeout and delivery services only). The following day, a state of emergency was also declared in Peel Region and Simcoe County by Warden George Cornell.
  On March 20 further measures were announced including waiving the three months waiting period for health care coverage, the launch of an e-learning portal and extended privileges for hospitals to re-deploy staff. The same day, Acting Mayor Jesse Helmer declared a state of emergency in the City of London.
  On March 23, Ford announced that all "non-essential" businesses be ordered closed starting 11:59 p.m. on March 24. Ford also stated that schools would remain closed past the original April 6 opening date and until further notice. A list of 74 "essential" businesses was published later in the day on March 23. The same day, a state of emergency was declared in Toronto by Mayor John Tory, in York Region by Chair Wayne Emmerson, and i
caption: A sign on the Gardiner Expressway in Toronto discouraging non-essential travel in March 2020.
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