Canada’s most populous region, Ontario, has announced a one month ‘stay at home’ order on Thursday, as the province battles a surge in Covid-19 cases. It has also made plans for mobile vaccine teams to target high risk workers including teachers and factory and warehouse workers.
The Ontario Premier Doug Ford said The risks are greater and the stakes are higher. Ontario also plans to vaccinate teachers in virus hotspots as early as next week more than a month earlier than expected. New cases in Ontario have tripled throughout March, as B117 variant is spreading sharply.
The surge has overwhelmed the province’s intensive care units, breaking records previously set during the previous second wave of the virus. Recently, ICU admissions have increased at a much faster rate than the province’s worst-case scenario modelling. This move comes less than a week after Ontario reversed plans to reopen businesses.