All Toronto schools to close Wednesday for in-person learning amid spike in COVID-19 outbreaks

All Toronto schools will close on Wednesday, with students shifting to remote learning amid a troubling spike in COVID-19 outbreaks.

Classes will remain closed until at least April 19.

The announcement comes a day after both the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) and Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) announced the closure of several schools due to outbreaks.

On Monday, Peel Public Health announced that schools in Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon would close for two weeks, starting Tuesday, April 6.

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Peel’s medical officer of health, Dr. Lawrence Loh, exercised the power to close schools under Section 22 of the Ontario Health Protection and Promotion Act.

“This closure is a necessary step to protect staff and students in Peel Region,” Dr. Loh said in a release. “I know this will be challenging for parents to navigate and we appreciate all the sacrifices parents continue to make as we continue to fight COVID-19 in our community.”

Toronto and Peel remain two of the virus hotspots in Ontario. Provincial health officials reported 3,065 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday with the majority of the infections being in Toronto (955) and Peel Region (561).

TDSB and TCDSB make up more than 30 per cent of the active cases in Ontario schools. According to the Ontario government website, there are currently 2,028 COVID-19 cases reported in the last 14 days.

York Region has said they will not be closing schools at this time because “COVID-19 transmission in schools in York Region remains low.”