Ontarians are waiting to hear an official announcement from the Ford government as several media reports indicate that a province-wide lockdown will be implemented on Christmas Eve.
On Sunday, 680 News reported that the lockdown would start as of 12:01 a.m. on December 24.
Lockdown restrictions mean non-essential businesses will have to temporarily close for in-store shopping and indoor dining at restaurants will be prohibited. As stated under the province's reopening framework, it is also "illegal to gather indoors with anyone you do not live with" while under grey-lockdown.
680 News reports that the length of the lockdown will vary depending on the region.
For the past several months, the provincial government has taken a regional approach in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Regions such as Windsor-Essex, Toronto, Peel, and York regions are currently in grey-lockdown. As of 12:01 a.m. on Monday Hamilton will also be in grey-lockdown.
Premier Doug Ford convened an emergency meeting with Ontario's Health Minister and the Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health on Friday. Ford later posted on Twitter that emergency meetings would be held over the weekend with an update to be given at 1 p.m. on Monday.
A call for stricter lockdown measures was made earlier this week by the Ontario Hospital Association, specifically for regions that are seeing COVID-19 infection rates of 40 per 100,000 or higher.
The province confirmed 2,316 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday.
