Ontario's ministry of long-term care is making moves it says could ease strain on a hospital system stretched to the limit by mounting COVID-19 cases.
The ministry says it's trying to free up scarce beds with measures aimed at hospital patients awaiting placement in a long-term care facility.
It says the province will waive fees for patients who agree to take a spot in a home that may not be their first choice until they're placed in the facility they want.
It says accepting an alternate placement won't affect a patient's standing on the waiting list at the home they prefer.
The ministry says it's also relaxing staffing rules, saying long-term care staff who are fully vaccinated are no longer limited to working in just one facility.
The Ontario Hospital Association had been calling for similar measures for weeks as hospitalization rates and admissions to intensive care units reach unprecedented levels across much of the province.