Ontario announced a state of emergency and additional stay-at-home orders to take effect on Jan. 14, following the reports of COVID-19 cases based on a new projection model. The new restrictions measures, however, have been criticized as uneven depending on the type of store. The new restrictions remain unchanged for essential retailers such as grocery stores, convenience stores, pharmacies, and restaurants for takeout. Non-essential retailers are also allowed to operate between the hours of 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. under the new rules. However, the restrictions have not changed for big-box stores like Walmart and Costco, which raises questions of crowding at these locations. “In downtown Toronto, it is easy to get essential items online or big-box stores, but that is not the case for the vast majority of Ontario,” said Ontario Premier Doug Ford in defence of the decision in a press conference on Jan. 13. “We need to make sure …