Ontario Premier Doug Ford says the province is set to make an announcement later this week about reducing COVID-19 restrictions.
He told Ottawa radio station CFRA today that he hates putting the public health measures in place and that there will soon be some positive news on that front.
The government announced on Jan. 3 that, due to the highly transmissible Omicron variant driving up COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations, restrictions would be placed on businesses until at least Jan. 26.
Restaurants were ordered closed for indoor dining, museums, zoos and other such attractions were shut down, as were gyms, indoor recreation facilities, cinemas and indoor concert venues, while retail settings and personal care services were capped at 50 per cent capacity.
Schools were also moved online for two weeks, and classes are resuming in person this week.
Ontario's chief medical officer of health said last week that he is watching for a peak or plateau of COVID-19 hospitalizations, and he can't guarantee the province will be ready to ease the restrictions on Jan. 26.