Ontario Premier Doug Ford orders all of Ontario to be in lockdown from Dec. 26

The lockdown is reported to remain in place until at least Jan. 23, 2021, in the 27 public health units that comprise southern Ontario.

Ford was joined in the press conference to announce it by Ontario Minister of Health Christine Elliott, Ontario Minister of Education Stephen Lecce, Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams, and President and CEO of William Osler Health System, Dr. Naveed Mohammad.

Ford continued to urge Ontarians not to gather for the holidays and said they should only leave home for essential trips such as work or groceries.

"If we fail to take action now, the consequences will be catastrophic. We need to do everything in our power to protect our hospitals and our most vulnerable," said Ford in the news conference.

During the lockdown, when classes resume in the new year, schools in southern Ontario will switch to remote learning. Elementary schools will remain closed for in-class learning until at least Jan. 11, and secondary schools will remain closed until Jan. 25.

All elementary and secondary public and private schools, in Northern Ontario, would resume in-person learning on Jan. 11.

However, child care centers will remain open for the duration of the province-wide shutdown.

"We've flattened the curve before and we can do it again," said Elliott.

Modeling forecasts reveal that Ontario could see up to 300 patients with cases of COVID-19 in intensive care units by the end of December, which necessitated taking such stringent measures.

Ontario public health officials at a morning briefing said that in a worst-case scenario, that number could increase by about 75 percent of Ontario's entire intensive care capacity which could come to more than 1,500 by mid-January.

In a joint statement over the weekend, hospitals in the Greater Toronto Area, along with the Ontario Hospital Association, said that health-care workers are "stressed and overstretched."  

(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)