Could a strict 'stay-at-home order' be coming to Hamilton?

Ontario Premier Doug Ford talks at a virtual news conference April 6, 2021.

Toronto's public health agency will force all schools to close on Wednesday and have students learn remotely instead, it announced Tuesday.

The meetings comes in the wake of the medical officers of health for Toronto, Peel and Ottawa writing a joint letter to their provincial counterpart asking him to impose the order.

"We understand this may not be the news families had hoped for, especially given the province's recent announcement, but recognize the critical need to take steps as directed by TPH to limit the spread of COVID-19 and variants of concern", said Shazia Vlahos, spokesperson for the Toronto Catholic District School Board, in a statement to CBC Toronto.

All schools in Brampton, Caledon and Mississauga will move to remote learning for at least two weeks, starting on Tuesday, Loh said.

They also asked the government to impose travel restrictions between regions within Ontario and for the province to provide paid sick days to supplement the federal program.

He said he would discuss the new measures "tomorrow" but reiterated he very much regretted shutting down restaurants.

"I hate doing that, but we're going to have further restrictions", he said, declining to elaborate. "This variant is moving hour-by-hour, day-by-day so we have to move with it and be nimble and be quick and that's what we're doing", he said.

"Going to the malls is not essential", the Premier said.

Ford says officials will send mobile units into COVID-19 hotspots and to companies to ensure that they "target these businesses".

The Ontario government has allowed schools to remain open despite using a provincewide "emergency brake" to deal with the third wave of the pandemic.

But increasingly, experts in the health-care sector say essential workers who can not work from home and often can not self-isolate if they contract the illness should be prioritized for the shot.

Prince Edward Island is reporting no new cases of COVID-19 today.

Ontario is also moving into a second phase of its vaccination campaign, which includes inoculating essential workers who can not work from home, people with high-risk health conditions and communities that have been disproportionately impacted by the virus.