Ontario - Canada's most populous province - will be shut down after Christmas Day. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Monday that the entire province will be shut down effective Dec. 26.
Ford said that the shutdown is necessary given the country's rising COVID-19 cases, which he added was growing at "an alarming rate." At a news conference, Ford assured residents that the closure will be a temporary and one-time measure.
"Unfortunately, despite the restrictions, we've seen growing numbers of people traveling between regions within Ontario. Covid is spreading rapidly from high-outbreak areas to areas with fewer cases," Ford said.
Ontario residents were asked to stay at home during the duration of the shutdown. The closure will remain in effect for 28 days in southern Ontario and 14 days in northern Ontario. The province currently has a population of 14 million people - or roughly 38% of the country's entire population.
Officials said that the lockdown could be lifted earlier or extended further depending on the outcome of a re-evaluation of the situation.
Government data showed that hospitalizations due to COVID-19 had increased by 74% in recent weeks. Intensive care unit admissions also jumped by more than 80%. Ford said that the province's health system is now on the verge of collapsing as most hospitals have been forced to cancel elective surgeries due to capacity concerns.
Ford has called on the Canadian government to help Ontario by closing borders to mitigate the spread of the disease. He said that he has already asked the federal government to help secure Ontario's borders.
"63,000 people are going unchecked every week just through Pearson International Airport... And I can tell you if they won't act further, at minimum, we need to test air travelers when they arrive at the airport. This is critical and if they don't do it, we will do it ourselves if needed," Ford said.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Sunday that the country will be banning travelers from the UK. He said in a tweet that Canadians needed to be kept safe from the new strain of coronavirus recently discovered in the UK.
