covid-19 pandemic in the regional municipality of york covid-19 pandemic in the regional municipality of york 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. for effects of the pandemic in the province, see covid-19 pandemic in ontario. covid-19 pandemic in the regional municipality of yorkdiseasecovid-19virus strainsars-cov-2locationregional municipality of yorkconfirmed cases69,733active cases6,839recovered62,111deaths783fatality rate1.12%government websiteyork.ca/covid19 sunday service at central united church in the markham neighbourhood of unionville is livestreamed online during the pandemic background on march 18, 2020, the municipalities of aurora and newmarket declared an emergency due to increasing community spread of covid-19. by the next week, the provincial government declared an emergency and imposed immediate public health measures. timeline february 2020 february 25 – a woman from iran returning to york region tests positive for covid-19. this was the first case reported in york region. march 2020 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. april 2020 april 10 – an outbreak at participation house, a care home takes place. participation house is a care home for adults with developmental disabilities. government response transit 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 and fares were not collected until july 2, 2020, when front-door boarding resumed. impacts business closures and cancellations 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. schools at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, covid-19 forced schools in york region to close for the rest of the academic year.