Starting Monday, Toronto - the capital city of Ontario province - will enter a 28-day lockdown.
The decision to shut one of Canada's largest cities is the result of a rise in COVID-19 cases.
Residents living in Toronto and the neighboring Peel Region must comply with strict pandemic regulations. Restaurants and other establishments won't be allowed to hold indoor gatherings. Restaurants can continue to operate takeout and delivery.
According to Ontario Premier Doug Ford, the city will impose a ban on all outdoor gatherings of more than 10 people. Indoor gatherings of more than 10 people for private residences will be banned, too.
"We cannot afford a provincewide lockdown, so we are taking preventative action Monday by moving Toronto and Peel into lockdown-level restrictions...We need to take decisive action to stop the spread of this deadly virus," Ford said.
Toronto, a city of around 2.9 million, reported more than 1,400 new coronavirus cases last week. This brought the number of positive cases to more than 100,000. The increase in new cases prompted the government to implement measures to protect its health care system.
Apart from restaurants, retail stores will have to switch to curbside pickups. Grocery stores, pharmacies and other retailers selling essential goods will be allowed to operate - but at 50% capacity.
The restrictions will be applied to churches and funeral homes with attendance restricted to no more than 10 people at a time. The government will allow schools to remain open.
Canadians are worries Ontario's 28-day lockdown will be imposed nationwide. Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the country "is not there yet" but, in the meantime, the government will do everything it can to reduce the number of new cases.
"I think we can work closely with the provinces to make sure we're all doing the right thing without having to go heavy handed from the federal government," Trudeau said.
