Peel Region will be under the highest COVID-19 alert level short of a lockdown as Ontario shifts to a tiered and colour-coded system for managing pandemic measures, though the restrictions it will face fall short of what local health officials deemed necessary to curb rising case counts.
The provincial government released a list Friday classifying each public health unit under the new red, orange, yellow and green risk level system -- a change that will take effect at midnight.
The move came as heightened restrictions were set to expire in three hot spots, including Peel Region, which will now be labelled a red zone.
``The numbers that we're seeing in Peel, and specifically Brampton, they're just going through the roof,'' Premier Doug Ford said in announcing the decision.
``It's out of control right now and we have to react.''
The province pointed to Peel's positivity rate which, at 11 per cent, is significantly higher than the 2.5 per cent or less officials are seeking. It said the local health-care system is also feeling pressure as a result of the spike in COVID-19 cases.