In Brampton’s weekly COVID-19 update, Medical Officer of Health Dr. Lawrence Loh expressed his desire to see Brampton enter Stage 3 of the economic reopening. In Stage 3, nearly all business types are allowed to reopen and sizes of allowable gatherings both indoors and outdoors are increased. Public health measures including hand washing, face masks, physical distancing and testing measures continue to stay in place.
Premier Ford recently announced that some jurisdictions would be progressing towards Stage 3 of reopening. Of the regions advancing to Stage 3, Peel Region was once again left behind.
“I support Peel Region moving into Stage 3 sooner rather than later”, Dr. Loh said.
Loh believes “a prolonged continued closure presents a prolonged ongoing impact to overall health and well-being” addressing potential consequences to employment and businesses. The Medical Officer of Health believes Peel knows what to do to live with COVID-19, while also reopening the community.
Peel Region remains one of Ontario’s largest contributors to COVID-19 cases, with the majority of cases still attributed to Brampton. Although the number of daily cases in Peel continue to decline, the rate of decline has begun to slow. However, public health experts are confident in Peel’s ability to recover as almost 90% of all new cases are linked to known clusters in workplaces and households.
“We must learn to live with COVID-19. We must unlock our community safely, while keeping our cases down”, said Dr. Loh.
Although Dr. Loh stated his support of Peel advancing to Stage 3, he emphasized that it be done cautiously. Social distancing, hand-washing, masking, and getting tested when sick remains important public health practices that should be maintained.
