Ontario Premier Doug Ford is set to announce tomorrow that a lockdown will take effect this weekend across the entire province, according to reports from CBC and Global News.
Both news agencies cite multiple sources for the information.
CBC says the 28-day lockdown, would begin on Saturday.
This latest lockdown, according to the reports, is expected to take place under the province's 'emergency brake' provisions, and restrictions are expected to be less strict than those previously implemented.
Global reports that its sources say indoor dining and patios will be banned during the lockdown. CBC reports that indoor fitness centres and hair salons would be shut down under the new measures.
CBC reports that schools would not be affected.
Ford told residents on Wednesday to "stay tuned" and urged them to refrain from gathering over the Easter weekend.
"You'll hear an announcement tomorrow," he said, without providing further details. "I'm very, very concerned to see the cases go up."
Ontario reported 2,333 new cases of COVID-19 Wednesday and 15 more deaths linked to the virus.
Those figures follow weeks of rising case counts as more contagious variants of the virus spread across the province.
The province also hit a new high Wednesday for the number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care units. Critical Care Services Ontario counted 421 hospital patients with COVID-related critical illness as of midnight.
- with files from The Canadian Press
