All regions in the province of Ontario will be placed into the grey-lockdown stage starting Christmas Eve, sources confirm to 680 NEWS.
Posted Dec 21, 2020, 05:41AM EST
All regions in the province of Ontario will be placed into the grey-lockdown stage starting Christmas Eve, sources confirm to 680 NEWS.
The move will restrict non-essential retail and prohibit indoor dining right across the province starting at 12:01 a.m. the day before Christmas.
A senior government source indicates the length of the lockdown will vary depending on region, so just how long the measures will remain in place is not clear at this point.
Premier Doug Ford has already confirmed that lockdown measures in both Toronto and Peel Region will be extended until January 4 and that Hamilton is set to join the grey-lockdown zone on Monday.
The premier is expected to announce additional measures at a 1 p.m. press conference on Monday after holding emergency meetings with health officials over the weekend.
The decision comes as various medical organizations have pressed the government for stronger action in order to alleviate the growing strain on the health care system.
An association of GTA hospitals joined the Ontario Hospital Association and the Ontario Medical Association in calling for stronger lockdown measures, warning that a surge in cases following the holiday season is expected to make the situation even worse.
The group says frontline health care workers are stressed and their efforts to battle the pandemic are being overstretched and is reaching a level that is “simply not sustainable for much longer.”
“We are seeing increasing numbers of staff becoming ill and not able to work – both with COVID-19 and other illnesses. While we are coping and planning for redeployment, we are seeing more illness and stress and hearing about the toll this is taking on people’s families,” reads the statement.
“We recognize that lockdown measures are challenging for many members of our communities, but we cannot afford to put patients and health care workers at further risk.”
