Canada's largest city Toronto to be on COVID-19 lockdown starting Monday

Toronto is set to be put on lockdown from Monday amid a spurt in coronavirus cases, Ontario premier Doug Ford announced today.

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The city which is the largest in Canada will be put under a 28-day lockdown with strict restrictions which include a ban on indoor private gatherings. The government has also restricted gatherings to ten people with gyms, saloons and casinos to remain closed.

Also Read: Britain hopes for 'normal Christmas' as coronavirus cases surge in Europe

"We cannot afford a province-wide lockdown, so we are taking preventative action today by moving Toronto and Peel into lockdown level restrictions ... We need to take decisive action to stop the spread of this deadly virus," Doug Ford said.

The measures during the lockdown include pharmacies and groceries to run at 50 per cent capacity, however, schools will remain open. According to the lockdown rules, restaurants and bars will not be allowed to serve customers. 

Ford, however, urged people to buy locally in order to support businesses which is likely to be hit hard heading into Christmas and a normally busy holiday season. 

The lockdown measures come as Toronto crossed 100,000 COVID-19 infections as PM Justin Trudeau warned citizens not to "see friends this weekend" and avoid birthday party or dinner gatherings. "A normal Christmas is quite frankly right out of the question," PM Trudeau had said earlier.

"Cases across the country are spiking massively, we're really at risk of seeing caseloads go up and hospitals get overwhelmed," the Canadian prime minister asserted 

Canada has registered 317,000 coronavirus cases along with 11,273 fatalities even as infections figures have been rising in the past seven days with 4,800 daily cases and 65 deaths.

Amid the rise in cases, PM Trudeau warned that daily cases could rise to 60,000 by the end of December.