Peel Regions’s top doctor recommends extending stay-at-home order for 2 more weeks

TORONTO -- Peel Region’s top doctor is asking the provincial government to keep the region in lockdown for at least two more weeks to assess the impact of the return of in-person learning and the emergence of highly-contagious COVID-19 variants in the region.

Over the last week, variants of concern have grown from only five cases to 45 in Peel Region. There are currently at least 40 lab-confirmed cases of the B.1.1.7 variant, which first originated in the United Kingdom, and five cases of the B.1.351 variant, which was first found in South Africa.

In addition, there are over 200 more cases in Peel that have screened positive for a variant of concern as of Wednesday. These cases are undergoing genomic sequencing to confirm and identify which variant they are.

Peel Region, along with Toronto, York Region and North Bay Parry Sound, are slated to re-enter the province’s colour-coded COVID-19 response framework as early as Feb. 22.

But Peel Region’s Medical Officer of Health Dr. Lawrence Loh recommends holding off from going back into the framework for at least another 14 days to monitor trends of the variants and transmission within schools.

“Can we reassess our anticipated return to the provincial framework? Holding the status quo for just one incubation period, 14 days, will allow us to better see where the variant trends go and review any impact that school reopening might have on community contacts and transmission,” he said during a media briefing in Brampton Wednesday morning.

Loh argues that delaying the region’s move into the framework is needed to avoid a surge in cases and another lockdown down the road.

“I know it's not news that people want to hear, but I think just holding on for a couple more weeks will allow us to really figure out what the picture is to try to get things under control, to try to make sure that the school reopening goes off without a hitch,” he said.

On Wednesday, 170 new COVID-19 cases were logged in Peel, up from 154 a day ago, according to Ontario’s Ministry of Health.

Peel Region’s testing positivity rate is currently 7.7 per cent compared to 7.9 a week ago and the weekly incidence rate fell to 137.2 per 100,000 cases compared to 155 last week.

Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown echoes Loh’s remarks and says the city has to be “diligent” as variants of concern continue to surface across the region.

“Although the overall numbers remain low, and you're seeing the COVID case count decline which is great news, the variants are becoming more of concern and so we can't let up. We're going to need the public to continue to be diligent because the growth of variants in Peel Region is something that is alarming unfortunately,” Brown said.

On Boxing day, the Ontario government issued a provincewide lockdown in an effort to curb COVID-19 transmission, as daily case counts were topping 3,000.

On Jan. 14, the province also enacted a provincewide stay-at-home order urging residents to only leave their homes for essential purposes, including work, medical reasons, buying groceries and exercising.

As daily case counts began to decline a month after the holidays, the government decided to lift the stay-at-home order for three regions in eastern Ontario on Feb. 10.

On Tuesday, the order was lifted for 27 more public health units, including Halton Region, Durham Region and Hamilton, which were placed in the red “control” category- the second most restrictive level of the framework.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has said the remaining regions still under lockdown will likely return to the most restrictive “grey” lockdown category when they return to the framework.

On Wednesday at Queen's Park, Ford said when the COVID-19 hot spots reopen it will be done "very cautiously."

“At any given time the local medical officer of health can put out a section 22 and put a stop to any opening. So we are doing this very cautiously. We still have the vast majority of the population - in Toronto, York and Peel - determining if it is going to go for another couple weeks based on the advice from the local medical officers of health and we are going to listen to that," he said.

If the government does move Peel Region back into the framework next week, Loh suggests implementing rapid testing at workplaces and paid sick days, a controversial topic that has been raised by politicians and health officials in the past few months.

“If we are to return to the provincial framework as of next week then I ask that we finally address the issues facing our essential workforce. Blitzes, rapid testing, paid sick days and protections for temporary and contract workers. We've said this for months and that is the balance that we must target, if we are going to return to the provincial framework as of next week,” he said.

Loh added that right now is crucial to monitor transmission in schools and across the broader community to avoid a potential third wave.

“I know everyone is tired, but I also know that we can't afford a third wave and a painful lockdown. So the next few weeks are crucial for our kids, for our businesses, for the success of our vaccination program, and for the most vulnerable among us, as they have always been,” he said.