Mississauga and Brampton businesses will be ordered closed if COVID-19 cases found

If a business has had more than five linked COVID-19 cases in the past two weeks, it will have to close for at least 10 days. 

On April 20, Peel Public Health issued an updated Section 22 Order on workplaces in Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon that will direct all businesses with five or more cases of COVID-19 in the previous 14 days to close for 10 days. These businesses will have to close if it’s determined that the cases were acquired at work or if no obvious source of infection has been identified outside of the workplace.  

The order will go in to effect on Friday, April 23, 2021.

“With rapid and wider spread of variants as observed in our data, the updated Section 22 Order provisions are necessary to quickly stop spread, protect our healthcare system and save lives,” Peel Public Health said in a news release. 

Peel Public Health says workplace exposures are driving the region’s high case counts of COVID-19, adding that expedited closures will also allow the region to investigate workplace exposures without risk of continued spread.     

Peel Public Health strongly recommends that employers directed to close under the order provide paid leave for impacted employees.   

Essential businesses, sectors and workers will be exempt from the new rule, including health care facilities, first responders, critical infrastructure, emergency childcare, education, grocery stores and others. The complete list is being developed and will be included in the order.    

The names of all affected businesses will be published on the region’s web site while they are closed. This list will not be published until the first businesses affected are notified this week.  The region says there will be an exemption list that will be given later this week as well.

“Workplaces that remain open continue to be a major driver of COVID-19 cases in Peel, as they have been throughout the course of our emergency response. With variant spread we are also seeing transmission occur more quickly and widely.
At this critical juncture in our pandemic response, the updated provisions in this Section 22 Order are necessary to quickly stop variant transmission in workplaces, support rapid workplace investigations, and protect our essential workers and our community,” said Dr. Lawrence Loh, Peel’s Medical Officer of Health, in a statement. 

“In the absence of legislated paid sick days, we also call on all employers impacted by expedited closure to provide paid leave for all employees impacted by COVID-19 or these new safety measures, and to consider moving as many operations as possible virtually to reduce risk.” 

In the event that a business is closed, all affected employees must self-isolate. Employees who are isolating are not permitted to work in any other workplace. 

Absent legislated paid sick days, employers required to close under these provisions are strongly recommended to provide paid leave for impacted employees.