COVID-19 pandemic in the Regional Municipality of Peel

The COVID-19 pandemic is an ongoing viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The pandemic has affected the Cities of Mississauga and Brampton, and the Town of Caledon, within the Regional Municipality of Peel. As part of the larger closure decisions in Ontario, a stay-at-home order shuttered all nonessential businesses, and caused event cancellations.

For effects of the pandemic in the province, see COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario.

COVID-19 pandemic in the Regional Municipality of Peel
DiseaseCOVID-19
Virus strainSARS-CoV-2
LocationRegional Municipality of Peel
Confirmed cases7,308
Active cases210
Recovered6,776
Deaths
322
Fatality rate4.44%
Government website
www.peelregion.ca/coronavirus/

As of May 2020, Brampton was considered one of the province's main "hot spots", and a Mississauga nursing home was taken over by the Province after a scathing report from the military.

Background

Brampton City Council voted unanimously in favour of declaring a "health care emergency" in the city, citing chronic overcrowding of Brampton Civic Hospital, its only full hospital facility.[1][2]

Timeline

February
  • February 29: Peel Public Health learns that someone with COVID-19 had attended work in the Region for three days, before self-isolating.[3] The workplace was not in Brampton, and the worker lived outside of Peel.[4]

March
  • March 5: Peel confirms its first case of COVID-19, a Mississauga man who had travelled on the Grand Princess cruise ship from February 11 to 21.[5] His wife was confirmed as the second carrier.[6]
  • March 8: A man returning from Germany tests positive for COVID-19 at Brampton Civic Hospital.[7]
  • March 9: Dr. Jessica Hopkins, the region's Medical Officer of Health, announces her departure. Dr. Lawrence Loh assumes the role of interim Medical Officer of Health. [8]
  • March 10: An entire floor of Royal Bank of Canada's Meadowvale office tower is told to self-quarantine, after a worker tests positive.[9]
  • March 21: Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown comments in an interview that he expects that COVID-19 will "not be a matter of weeks, it's going to be a matter of months," contrary to most government suggestions at the time.[2]
  • March 23: Mississauga declares a state of emergency.[10]
  • March 24: Brampton declares a state of emergency.[11]
  • March 25: Liberal MP for Brampton West Kamal Khera tests positive for COVID-19.[12]
  • Peel Addiction Assessment and Referral Centre, which has 700 clients, restructured its interactions due to physical distancing requirements.[13]

April
  • April 9: Brampton Civic Hospital announced the death of an environmental services associate. He was the first hospital employee in Ontario to die of the disease.[14]
  • April 18: Mississauga reports 137 new cases of COVID-19, which would remain its daily peak as of July 15.[15]

May
  • May 25: After Premier Doug Ford mentions that the province has "hot spots" for COVID, "lighting up like a Christmas tree," the Ministry of Health revealing that Peel Region is among the hotspots. Ford later narrowed that to Brampton.[16]
  • May: Mississauga Food Bank looked to raise $840,000 in response to the pandemic. Basketball player RJ Barrett donated $100,000.[17]

June

July
  • July 2: Dr. Lawrence Loh accepts the position of Medical Officer of Health on a permanent basis.[19]
  • July 15: Peel Health reports no new cases of COVID-19 in Mississauga, for the first time since March 22.[15]

Cases

As of 31 May 2020, the following LTC homes in Peel have 10 or more confirmed COVID-19 related deaths:[20][21][22][23]

  • Camilla Care Community LTC (Mississauga) - 64[23]
  • Cooksville Care Centre (Mississauga) - 18[23]
  • Erin Mills Lodge Nursing Home LTC (Mississauga) - 17 [24]
  • Village of Erin Meadows LTC (Mississauga) - 19 [24]
  • Grace Manor (Brampton) - 12[23]
  • Villa Forum (Mississauga) - 10[23]

The outbreak at Camilla Care Community in Mississauga was among Ontario's deadliest, receiving attention from The Washington Post.[25] On May 27, the Province of Ontario announced that it would take over management of the facility for two weeks.[26]

Outbreaks

Outbreaks of COVID have been declared at a number of health facilities. As of May 8, outbreaks were declared at:[27]

  • Bough Beeches Place
  • Burton Manor
  • Camilla Care Community; As of May 7, 48 residents had died of COVID-19.[28]
  • Cooksville Care Centre
  • Erin Mills Lodge Nursing Home
  • Extendicare Brampton
  • Faith Manor Nursing Home
  • Grace Manor
  • Greenway by Revera Retirement Village
  • Ivan Franko Homes
  • King Gardens Place Retirement Home
  • Malton Village
  • Maple Grove Care Community
  • Peel Manor; At least one resident has died at the facility, in mid-April 2020.[29]
  • Regency Retirement Residence
  • Sheridan Villa
  • Silverthorn Care Community
  • Sunrise of Mississauga
  • Tall Pines
  • Trillium Health Partners, Credit Valley Hospital
    • An outbreak was declared March 27,[27] and reported by April 1, after four patients in the rehab unit tested positive.[30] The outbreak ended on May 8.[27]
  • Trillium Health Partners, Mississauga Hospital
  • Villa Forum
  • Village of Erin Meadows
  • Village of Sandalwood Park

In late April, the dormitory-format Ontario Correctional Institute in Brampton was closed after 60 inmates and eight workers tested positive. Inmates were moved to the Toronto South Detention Centre, to allow for a deep clean, and for staff to self-isolate for two weeks.[31][32][33][34]

Government response

Region of Peel continued to hold weekly council meetings.[35]

On March 16, Peel municipalities began exempting retail deliveries from noise bylaws, allowing around-the-clock goods movement. The measure was to last 30 days.[36]

Mississauga declared a state of emergency on March 23, with Brampton doing the same the next day. Under the Ontario Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, this allowed both various additional abilities including restricting movement, establishment of emergency shelters or health care facilities, and the power to close private businesses.[10][11]

Transit

Between March 2 and 4, someone with COVID-19 travelled on MiWay transit.[37] This was followed by someone with the virus on a GO Transit leaving Toronto Pearson International Airport. Following this incident, Peel Public Health advised that public transit was still a safe option, and Brampton and Mississauga both announced "enhanced cleaning practices."[38]

MiWay was made free starting March 21, with most express services cancelled. Boarding was to take place by the rear doors.[39]

Impacts

Business closures and event cancellations

In mid-February, the Mississauga Chinese Business Association reports that Chinese restaurants in the city have been 25-50% drops in revenue, attributable to misinformation.[40]

At least one business closed and sent employees home after an employee falsely claim of that a family member had tested positive for COVID-19. He was charged with public mischief.[41]

An employee at Maple Leaf Foods poultry plant in Brampton tested positive; employees who had contact with them were sent home for self-isolation.[42] The company waited 20 days before publicly acknowledging the diagnosis. The number sick grew to 24 by May 6, according to a Peel Public Health statement.[43] Operations at the facility were suspended in early April.[44]

On May 7, United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 175 confirmed the death of a Maple Lodge Farms plant's staff members.[45][46]

After a staff member was diagnosed with COVID-19, Mississauga meat producer Sofina Foods ended its overnight shift to allow for cleaning processes.[47]

The ECHL, the league of which the Brampton Beast are part, cancelled the remainder of its season on March 14, 2020.[48]

Three workers at Caledon's Amazon plant have tested positive for COVID-19, as of May 20, 2020.[49]

Religion

After gatherings of more than 5 people were banned, services at all places of worship were cancelled. Various congregations took to live streaming their services, from either the place of worship itself (as is the case with Mississauga's St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church) or remotely. Brampton's Har Tikvah synagogue added other online programming, beyond its normal services. Ontario Khalsa Darbar closed its langar to pickup-only.[50]

As of April 29, the City of Brampton was allowing staff discretion around enforcement of noise by-laws, in relation to mosques broadcasting adhan (a call to prayer) during the month of Ramadan; it was waiting for a staff report on the topic. At the May 6 meeting, council approved a one-time by-law exemption.[51] Mayor Patrick Brown noted that church bells were exempted in the existing by-law.[52]

Mississauga council passed a motion at its April 29 council meeting, allowing mosques to do one adhan each day, which is normally banned by city noise by-law.[53][51] The item was a "walk on item" based on a request by the Muslim Council of Peel, meaning that it wasn't on the public agenda, nor was a staff report on the topic available.[51][54] Since then, two councillors have commented that Mayor Bonnie Crombie provided council with incorrect information on the subject, and that the matter should be revisited. Discussion on the topic has been referred to the City's Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee.[51]

The move and the criticism that followed received international headlines.[55] Ram Subrahmanian, a member of the group Keep Religion Out Of Peel Region Schools, has received donations for an intended court challenge.[56] A spokesperson for Muslim Canadian Congress commented that "many Islamic scholars who have denounced the use of loudspeakers in mosques as against the spirit of Islam."[56]

The decision allowed similar exemptions in communities including Windsor;[57] Toronto announced that it would do the same, if asked.[58]

References
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  2. Frisque, Graeme (March 21, 2020). "'Longer than people expect': Brampton mayor prepares residents for the worst as coronavirus spreads". Brampton Guardian. Mississauga ON. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  3. Gamrot, Sabrina (March 3, 2020). "Health officials reveal coronavirus exposure at a Peel workplace". Mississauga News. Mississauga News. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  4. Cornwell, Steve (March 5, 2020). "'Need to be on high alert': Brampton and Mississauga mayors react to COVID-19 exposure in Peel". Mississauga News. Mississauga ON. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
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  7. Wilkinson, Robyn (March 8, 2020). "'Risk to Peel citizens is still low': Peel Region reports third confirmed case of coronavirus". Caledon Enterprise. Caledon ON. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
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