The Ontario government, in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health and local medical officers of health, is enabling more regions of the province to enter Stage 2 of the government’s reopening framework. These regions are able to reopen due to positive trends of key public health indicators at the local level, including lower transmission of COVID-19, sufficient hospital health system capacity, local public health capacity to assist with rapid case and contact management, and a significant increase in testing provincially.
Toronto, Peel and Windsor-Essex are not yet moving to Phase Two. More information here.
In response to requests by community leaders and public health experts, the Ontario government is proposing a regulatory change to mandate the reporting of data on race, income, language and household size for individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19. This will help ensure the province has a more complete picture of the outbreak. This change will allow for the collection of data in a consistent way across the province while ensuring the privacy of Ontarians is protected. More information here.
The Ontario government is continuing to take steps to ensure the province is self-sufficient and prepared for the future by providing CSA Group Testing & Certification Inc. with $526,200 from the Ontario Together Fund to increase capacity for testing and certifying personal protective equipment (PPE).