Peel Public Health issues Section 22 Order to close all Peel schools

All schools in the Peel Region will close for two weeks to curb COVID-19 spread. This closure will allow students and staff at least two weeks out of schools to break any chains of transmission and protect them from exposure.

'Each COVID-19 case in a school requires a careful investigation to determine the potential risk to other individuals in that setting, and based on the findings of the investigation, decisions are then made on how best to protect the staff and students in the school, including dismissing some cohorts or all cohorts, ' says Dr. Vinita Dubey, associate medical officer of health for Toronto Public Health.

In Toronto, the public health unit says it has recommended the closure of 20 schools as COVID-19 cases are investigated.

In accordance with the order, all schools in Peel will be moving to remote learning starting Tuesday, April 6th and the closure will remain in place through the end of day April 18.

"TPH will continue to manage risk on a school-by-school basis, taking immediate and appropriate action to address these complex outbreaks", it said in a statement. Decisions on whether to extend the order "will be made, as required", Peel Public Health said.

It is unknown how long Loh intends to keep schools closed.

Medical Officer of Health Dr. Lawrence Loh says he is ordering schools in Brampton, Caledon and Mississauga to close starting Tuesday.

Education Minister Stephen Lecce previously announced Ontario schools would stay open for the four-week duration of the Ontario-wide 'shut down.' Both Lecce and Ontario Chief Medical of Health Dr. David Williams have maintained schools remain safe and there has been hardly any in-school transmission of COVID-19 occur provincewide.

Meanwhile, Minister of Education Stephen Lecce's office assured Ontarians that "schools remain safe with strong public health measures in place that have kept almost 99 per cent of schools in Ontario open".

"It is our firm belief that schools should be open for in-class learning, as they are critical to student mental health".

Students cross the street at Tomken Road Middle School during the COVID-19 pandemic in Mississauga, Ont., Thursday, April 1, 2021.

"It looks like our efforts may have worked", Ryan Harper, vice-president for District 19 TBU at the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation, wrote in a tweet after the news emerged. "Instead, it left many feeling abandoned, frightened, and unsure about the future", ETFO President Sam Hammond said in a release. Students at the schools in the two boards will shift to remote learning.

The union also urged the Ford government to begin "vaccinating all essential workers today" including education workers.

It's recommending a government stay-at-home order and the closure of all non-essential businesses, but didn't suggest schools closing.