For Immediate Release
July 24, 2020
STATEMENT: Mayor Crombie Responds to Province’s Decision to Hit Pause on Further Stage 3 Reopenings
“Today, the province announced they would be taking extra time before deciding whether Peel Region, Toronto and Windsor Essex can move to Stage 3. I want to thank the Premier for acting on the data and advice of Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health and continuing to take a cautious, regional approach to reopening.
The decision to hit pause takes into account the realities that populous, dense Regions like Peel face and the need to take a cautious approach as we further reopen public spaces, workplaces and the economy.
It is my hope that the province will also use this time to review and respond to the advocacy efforts of GTHA Mayors, who have written to the Premier asking for additional measures for indoor dining and gyms in large urban centres. We know the virus thrives in indoor, close contact social settings and that when restrictions are loosened, we inevitably open up our risk of transmission.
We want to be careful and not let our guard down as we approach this critical phase in our efforts to neutralize the virus. These measures would allow us to be even more cautious as we reopen these spaces in Stage 3.
We’ve already seen outbreaks linked to indoor bars and restaurant reopenings in cities such as Montreal, Edmonton and Kelowna. It is easy to see how quickly we can lose the gains we have made.
Mississauga remains in a good position with an average of five new daily cases over the past week, and only two today. As a Region, we continue to make progress, having seen a stable decline in cases over the past month.
I feel that we are in a good position to move to Stage 3 shortly. I want to thank the province for listening to our concerns, and I look forward to hearing updates on our progress this Wednesday.”
– Bonnie Crombie, Mayor of Mississauga
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