ONTARIO EXTENDS STAY-HOME IN HOT SPOTS

Two more weeks in Toronto, peel and North Bay

The COVID-19 hot spots of Toronto and Peel region, as well as a northern community dealing with a spike in cases, will remain under a stay-at-home order for at least two more weeks, the Ontario government said Friday.

The decision followed calls from Toronto and Peel to keep strict measures in place to prevent more illness and death.

The province said it made the decision based on public health indicators and consultations with local medical officers of health.

“These are difficult but necessary decisions, in order to protect against COVID-19 variants and maintain the progress we have all made together,” Health Minister Christine elliott said in a statement.

The government said case rates are too high in Toronto and Peel, and variants spreading in the North bay area meant that region also needed to remain under the stay-home order to preserve health-system capacity.

york region will see the order lift next week as it moves to the red — or second-strictest — category of Ontario’s tiered pandemic restrictions framework. That means the reopening of non-essential retail, fitness facilities and indoor restaurant dining with safety requirements.

All of Ontario was under a stay-at-home order and the strictest public health measures until the government began easing restrictions gradually in certain regions last week. The majority of the province transitioned back to Ontario’s tiered restrictions system earlier this week.