Schools in Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon closing Tuesday for 2 weeks

Peel Region's decision follows speculation about a possible return to remote learning throughout the province, with some school boards urging students and teachers to take learning materials home before the Easter long weekend just in case.

Similiar to Peel Region, the order will be in place from April 7 to 18, which will bring students to the end of the April break.

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.

Peel Region's top doctor says he has ordered all schools to be closed.

An extension of the order may be considered based on COVID-19 epidemiological data for Toronto, the city said.

Dr. Lawrence Loh says he is ordering schools in Brampton, Caledon and Mississauga to close starting tomorrow.

Peel Public Health continues to work closely with our school board partners to prioritize the health and safety of staff and students.

"This guiding principal is supported by other organizations, including SickKids, indicating schools should be first to open and last to close", it said in a statement. With increasing case counts and the presence of variants of concern, we need to break chains of transmission and keep our schools safe.

"Stronger public health measures are required to reverse the surge of infection that the province now faces". This decision will be revisited on a daily basis, and further recommendations may be made in the near future in partnership with our local school boards and the province.

During the closure, licensed child care programs will not be permitted to offer care to children whose schools are required to be closed under the order, with the exception of emergency child care for those who qualify.

"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.

She said spring break will happen, as planned, during the week of April 12 to 16.

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".