Letter to Dr. Eileen de Villa re COVID-19 in York South-Weston

TEXT VERSION:

October 7, 2020

SENT BY EMAIL

Dr. Eileen de Villa

Toronto Public Health

277 Victoria St., 5th fl.

Toronto ON M5B 1W2

Re: Targeted COVID-19 prevention strategies for York South—Weston

Dear Dr. De Villa,

I hope this letter finds you well. I'd like to thank you for the continued work that yourself and your team have been doing to keep Toronto safe throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

I am writing today to share my concerns regarding the elevated numbers of COVID-19 cases in York South—Weston and to urge Toronto Public Health to implement strategies to address the public health crisis that parts of this community are facing.

New data that was reported this week on the overall percent of COVID-19 test positivity rates by neighbourhood indicates that rates in York South—Weston are alarming and disproportionately high compared to other parts of Toronto. Area residents are worried about the statistics in their communities and the impact this has on their daily lives.

Since the City began to provide neighbourhood maps that illustrate the distribution of COVID-19 cases across Toronto in May this year, we learned that neighbourhoods in York South—Weston are experiencing overall higher case counts than the rest of the city. These maps are intended to provide information to help prevention strategies reach those people most affected.

While a permanent COVID-19 Assessment Centre was established in the Weston neighbourhood last week, and some pop-up testing locations have operated throughout the ward, it is clear that this alone is not enough.

I strongly urge Toronto Public Health to implement more robust targeted prevention strategies for these hardest hit areas, including the neighbourhoods of Rustic, Beechborough-Greenbrook, Brookhaven-Amesbury and Weston, and to inform me on what actions are being taken.

Sincerely,

Frances Nunziata

City Councillor

Ward 5 York South−Weston

FN/mm