York Region joining Toronto, Peel and Ottawa in modified Stage 2

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Personal care services such as facials or make-up where face coverings must be removed are also banned.

Team sports with the exception of training sessions are also disallowed.

Gatherings are limited to 10 people indoors and 25 people outside, including wedding receptions.

Ontario reported 712 new cases of COVID-19 Friday, bringing the pandemic tally to 62,908.

An additional nine deaths were recorded for a total of 3,031 lives lost.

The City of Toronto reported the highest number of new cases in the province Friday, 213.

Peel Region confirmed 135 more cases, Ottawa 108, Halton 46 and Durham 27.

York Region saw 62 new COVID-19 cases, compared to 127 on Thursday.

Health Minister Christine Elliott said the recommendation by public health officials to roll York back from Stage 3 was not based on a one-day testing result.

It was a difficult decision on the part of the government because it requires sacrifices and impacts so many people’s lives, she said.

“But we are seeing some concerning trends in York that required us to take action,” Elliott said. “So it’s not necessarily what the numbers are from one day to the next… We are seeing an alarming upward trend.”

In addition to the rate of new infections, officials also look at hospital capacity.

Public health officials mentioned York Region as an area of concern this week, but also Halton Region, Durham Region and Eastern Ontario public health units.