| COVID-19 pandemic in the Regional Municipality of York | |
| Disease: | COVID-19 |
| Virus Strain: | SARS-CoV-2 |
| Location: | Regional Municipality of York, Ontario, Canada |
| Confirmed Cases: | 69,733 |
| Active Cases: | 6,839 |
| Recovery Cases: | 62,111 |
| Deaths: | 783 |
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). This pandemic has affected the Regional Municipality of York since early 2020 and has led to lockdowns as well as stay-at-home orders made by the Government of Ontario. A vaccination program began in December 2020 and is currently ongoing.
On March 18, 2020, the municipalities of Aurora and Newmarket declared an emergency due to increasing community spread of COVID-19.[1] By the next week, the provincial government declared an emergency and imposed immediate public health measures.
February 25 – a woman from Iran returning to York Region tests positive for COVID-19. This was the first case reported in York Region.[2]
March 23 – the provincial government orders all non-essential businesses (e.g. restaurants, mall retail) to close. Gathering limits are introduced. Due to the hardship imposed on businesses, subsidies and financial relief measures were introduced.[3]
April 10 – an outbreak at Participation House, a care home takes place. Participation House is a care home for adults with developmental disabilities.[4]
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic leading to a lockdown, York Region Transit reduced service. School routes were cancelled. To reduce contact between the driver and passengers, boarding was done at the back door [5] and fares were not collected until July 2, 2020, when front-door boarding resumed.[6]
COVID-19 has led to shutdowns of non-essential businesses in York Region, such as restaurants, movie theatres and gyms. This happened at the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020. By July 2020, non-essential businesses were permitted to open in stage 3, but were closed again on October 19, 2020.[7]
At the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, COVID-19 forced schools in York Region to close for the rest of the academic year.[8]