Ontario reports new daily record high of COVID-19 cases

Ontario is reporting a new daily record high of 1,589 COVID-19 cases on Monday — the same day that Toronto and Peel Region entered new 28-day lockdowns that will shutter businesses deemed non-essential by the province.

For the sixth straight day, Peel Region is the virus hotspot with 535 new cases, followed by Toronto with 336 and York Region with 205.

The province completed 37,471 tests in the previous day — still well short of its goal of 50,000 tests per day — with a backlog of 18,394.

The previous daily record high came on Saturday when 1,588 cases were confirmed. There were 1,534 cases on Sunday.

Nineteen more people have died, bringing the provincial total to 3,505. Most of those deaths (2,224) were people living in long-term care.

There have now been 105,501 total cases in Ontario, with 84.4 per cent considered resolved.

Premier Doug Ford announced lockdowns for Peel and Toronto on Friday, saying the decision came on the advice of health experts who warned that the hospital system could become overwhelmed without further restrictions.

There are currently 156 people being treated in intensive care units, with 92 of them on ventilators.

The new lockdown measures does not include schools, which remain open after Ford and Education Minister Stephen Lecce maintained they are safe, stressing that any outbreaks are being diligently contained.

The province announced 60 new school-related cases of COVID-19 on Monday, with 1,133 in the last 14 days.

There have now been a total of 3,870 school-related cases in the province, with three schools currently closed due to outbreaks.

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