Ontario Premier Doug Ford has announced a province wide lockdown starting Boxing Day, December 26th.
The lockdown will remain in place until January 23rd, but will be lifted for northern Ontario on January 9th.
The new public health measures are an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Ford says there has been a 70% increase in hospitalizations and 80% in ICU admissions in recent weeks.
Childcare centres across the province will remain open during the lockdown.
The measures also mean all non-essential businesses must close, and essential businesses that remain open will have strict capacity limits in place.
No indoor public events or social gatherings will be allowed, except with members of the same household.
Schools in Ontario will also have an extended winter break. Schools across the province will move to online learning from January 4th to 8th. In person learning can resume starting January 11th for students from Kindergarten to Grade 8. Students from Grades 9 to 12 can resume in person learning starting January 25th.
Schools located in the following Public Health Unit regions can resume in-person instruction on January 11, 2021 for both elementary and secondary students:
- The District of Algoma Health Unit
- North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit
- Northwestern Health Unit
- Porcupine Health Unit
- Sudbury and District Health Unit
- Thunder Bay District Health Unit
- Timiskaming Health Unit
Ontario reported 2,123 new infections today.
New projections see 300 intensive care units (ICU) filled in the province within 10-days (double the point where surgeries must be cancelled).
Information suggests lockdowns of up to six weeks could cut Ontario’s daily COVID-19 case counts to less than 1,000.
The provincial lockdown announcement was made at a press conference this afternoon with Health Minister Christine Elliott, Minister of Education Stephen Lecce, Chief Medical Officer of Health Doctor David Williams and the President and CEO of Osler Health System Dr. Naveed Mohammad.
MORE DETAILS TO COME