Toronto and Peel Region back Ford's reopening plan

Toronto and Peel Region are both backing Premier Ford’s decision to move the areas into stage two of the province's reopening plan on Wednesday.

Ford announced the move on Monday as two public health units were previously unable to open due to a larger number of new daily cases than Ontario’s 31 other health units.

Brampton Mayor, Patrick Brown posted a tweet to show his support for the move.

"I welcome @fordnation’s decision that Peel Region will move into stage 2 of the reopening," said Brown.

"The initial delay was the cautious & prudent approach. Public health says our #Covid_19 numbers are low enough to warrant this step."

Moving into stage two will allow Toronto and Peel residents to dine on patios, shop at indoor malls, get haircuts and more, reports CBC News.

"We are confident that Toronto and Peel have met the public health criteria to join the 31 regions in Stage 2 effective this Wednesday," noted Health Minister Christine Elliott.

"We are planning for Stage 3. We have a jobs and recovery committee that looks at that," she said Monday. "We won’t be ready to do that until we can assess the health effects of people in Stage 2, understanding if there are any concern areas we should be dealing with."

The move follows steady counts of less than 200 daily cases in Ontario as well as less hospitalizations. Testing has recently been consistent at over 20,000 per day.

“Ontario is heading in the right direction because everyone is doing their part," Ford said at a Monday afternoon news conference. "We are hitting our markers. We are taking a cautious approach and this is helping Ontario move forward."