By David Ljunggren
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada is seeing a worrying increase in the number of people infected with the coronavirus as schools across the country start to reopen, a top medical official said on Tuesday.
Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam said an average of 545 new cases had been reported daily over the past week, up from about 300 in July.
"This is concerning and I want to underscore that when cases occur, including in schools, it is a reflection on what's happening in the community," she told a briefing. "This week is a really critical week."
Several of the 10 provinces have started to reopen schools this week for in-person learning for the first time since March after investing millions in added protections. Quebec, which welcomed back pupils last month, has already reported a number of cases in schools.
Tam noted that the increase in infections was concentrated among younger adults and cited the risk posed by private functions and family gatherings.
The premier of Ontario, Canada's most-populous province, railed against young people and students who he said were holding unauthorized parties and warned them he wanted the police to lay charges if necessary.
"No more parties. I just can't stress it enough," Doug Ford told a briefing on Tuesday. Ontario announced a one-month suspension of efforts to lift remaining restrictions that had been imposed to fight the outbreak.
The coronavirus reproduction number, which shows how many people someone with COVID-19 is infecting, has risen to just above one, an indication that the virus is spreading.
"That is not a good sign," Tam said.
Canada has recorded a total of 132,142 COVID-19 cases and 9,146 deaths.
Quebec unveiled a four-step alert system for measures to curb COVID-19 that would introduce restrictions such as limiting the number of people allowed to gather depending on the risk of transmission.