In the wake of a resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic, Canadian authorities on Friday placed Toronto, the country’s largest city into lockdown for 28 days.
The lockdown poised to begin on Monday in the city and in Peel, a part of the Greater Toronto to the west of the city centre will result in the closure of shops, businesses and restaurants as well as the banning of indoor gatherings to curb a growing spike in COVID-19 cases.
Also, indoor social gatherings or events that include members of different households will be banned, and outdoor gatherings will be limited to no more than 10 people, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced.
“We cannot afford a province-wide lockdown, so we are taking preventative action today by moving Toronto and Peel into lockdown level restrictions,” he said. “We need to take decisive action to stop the spread of this deadly virus.”
More than 1,400 new coronavirus cases were reported in Ontario on Friday, taking the province’s total case since the start of the pandemic beyond 100,000. The region has been battling a rapidly rising rate of infections, with Toronto particularly badly hit; the city broke its record for new infections on Tuesday and has reported several hundred new cases each day this week.
“With the numbers rising rapidly in certain regions, we have to make the tough, but necessary decisions now to protect our hospitals, long-term care and retirement homes, and every person in this province,” Ford said.
