Pickering-Uxbridge MPP Peter Bethlenfalvy tests positive for COVID-19

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Published March 31, 2022 at 4:32 pm

Pickering-Uxbridge MPP and Ontario Minister of Finance Peter Bethlenfalvy has tested positive for COVID-19.

Bethlenfalvy showed symptoms the morning of March 31 and took a rapid test, which came back positive. He says he will be following public health guidelines and working from home for the next five days.

A businessman by trade, Bethlenfalvy entered the political arena in 2018 when he ran for the Pickering-Uxbridge seat. The riding had been newly carved out of three surrounding Durham area ridings, making Bethlenfalvy the first MPP of the area.

Premier Doug Ford appointed him to the Ontario Treasury Board right after the election. Following Ajax MPP Rod Phillips’ resignation from the Finance portfolio following his health-order-breaking vacation to St. Bart, Bethlenfalvy was tapped to replace his neighbour as Minister of Finance on December 31, 2020.

As the Ford Government prepares for June’s election, Bethlenfalvy has had a busy week. On March 25, he cut the ribbon to Ajax’s new long term care home, Lakeridge Gardens, alongside Regional Chair John Henry, Whitby Mayor Don Mitchell and Ajax Deputy Mayor Sterling Lee.

Then on March 28, he toured a school with Ford and Education Minister Stephen Lecce to promote Ontario’s signing on to the Federal $10 a day daycare plan as the last province to do so, meeting numerous unmasked children in a classroom.

On March 29 he attended Pickering’s Amica Senior Lifestyles, a local retirement residence to celebrate their grand opening.

That evening he went to the Brampton-held Premier Cricket Cup with Ford, Lecce, Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown and Brampton area MPPs Amarjot Sandhu and Prabmeet Sarkaria.

The next day, March 30 made announcement in Queen’s Park alongside Minister of Housing Steve Clark and Consumer Services Minister Ross Romano.

Durham Region and its constituent municipalities have ended their states of emergencies in recent days. However, COVID-19 is on the rise again in Ontario, ten days after masking and social distancing orders were lifted.

Wastewater sampling indicates an incoming, or ongoing sixth wave of COVID-19. Case in Durham Region tripled on March 30 over the previous day, with 175 new cases reported.  Numbers remained high March 31, but dipped slightly to 153, with 614 active cases now across the Region.

Across Ontario 807 people are in hospital with COVID-19, 166 of whom are in the intensive care.

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