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MONTREAL (AFP) – Canada’s most populous province, Ontario, will impose a new lockdown starting Saturday (December 26) for its 14 million inhabitants, its prime minister announced on Monday as Covid-19 cases rise .
“Make no mistake, thousands of lives are at stake right now. If we don’t act now, the consequences could be catastrophic,” Prime Minister Doug Ford said at a press conference.
Ford said the blockade will last 28 days in the southern part of the province and 14 days in the less populated north.
Toronto, the country’s largest city, has already been closed for nearly a month.
The new restrictions prohibit, among other things, private gatherings indoors outside the family circle.
Non-essential restaurants and businesses will only be open for take-out or delivery.
Ford also asked all Ontarians to stay home and only go out when absolutely necessary.
“I want to start by giving you an honest assessment of where we are today in Ontario. We saw the pattern this morning that our Covid-19 numbers continue to accelerate at an alarming rate,” he said.
“Unfortunately, despite the restrictions, we have seen a growing number of people traveling between regions within Ontario,” he said, adding that “our hospitals are getting more crowded every day.”
With the announcement, almost two-thirds of Canadians will be under total or partial lockdown. Quebec, the second most populous province in the country, has put similar measures into effect until January 11.
By Monday, Canada had recorded more than half a million coronavirus cases and nearly 14,300 deaths since the pandemic began.
Ontario, the second worst affected province by the pandemic after Quebec, recorded more than 158,000 cases and about 4,200 deaths.
Canada began vaccinating people in high-risk categories, including front-line healthcare workers and residents and staff at long-term care facilities, on December 14, with a relatively limited supply of the Pfizer vaccine. -BioNTech.
On Sunday, Ottawa announced that it will halt the entry of passenger flights from Britain for 72 hours, joining the list of nations taking action on a new strain of the coronavirus in the UK.
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