TORONTO, Ont. – Ontario has assured truck drivers that it will keep rest areas open during the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
“Our government is helping out our truck drivers who are keeping our supply chains running,” Premier Doug Ford said at his daily Covid-19 briefing Tuesday.
“We’ll be keeping ONroute locations, and other rest areas open. So, drivers can refuel, order takeout, and you can get a break,” he said.
Ford said cleaning and disinfecting of the facilities will be ramped up to keep everyone safe and healthy.
The premier’s comments came as truckers voiced concern over reduced access to some rest areas in Canada and the U.S.
The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) and American Trucking Associations (ATA) had urged all levels of government to keep rest areas open.
ONroute, which operates 23 travel plazas in Ontario, said last week it will keep all its sites open for take-out, grab-and-go, and drive-through services.
Most other truck-stop chains have also made similar commitments.