31 July 2020 – Toronto and Peel Region to enter Stage 3 of reopening

Type of Intervention: Specific Action
Sectors Involved: Finance/Economy, Health, Private Sector and Businesses
Intervention Categories: Social and physical distancing measures; Reopening offices, businesses, institutions, and operations; Allowing gatherings, businesses, and services
Level of Jurisdiction: Ontario
Lead People/Agency: Premier Doug Ford, Dr. David Williams, Chief Medical Officer of Health, Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health

Overview: As of Friday, July 31, the Ontario government is allowing the City of Toronto and the Peel Region to move into Stage 3 of the province’s reopening. These regions are now joining 31 other public health regions that entered Stage 3 on July 17 and 24, 2020. The government is advising people to continue to follow public health guidelines strictly to protect themselves and others, including practicing physical distancing, wearing a face covering, etc. Entering Stage 3 encompasses a number of restrictions being eased and allows more businesses to open.
Full details here: https://news.ontario.ca/opo/en/2020/07/ontario-moving-toronto-and-peel-region-into-stage-3.html

Other links: 1 2 3
Type of Justification: Advice of INTERNAL government advisory committee or group
Source of Evidence or Justification: Sub-national, Chief Medical Officer of Health and regional Medical Officers of Health
Evidence/Justification: The decision to move these regions into Stage 3 of reopening was made in consultation with the province’s Chief Medical Officer of Health and local Medical Officers of Health for each region. It is explained that the decision took into account positive local trends of multiple key public health indicators, including lower transmission of COVID-19, ongoing hospital capacity, public health capacity to conduct rapid case and contact management, and a significant increase in testing.