11 | O akville B eaver | T hursday,D ecem ber 24,2020 insidehalton.com Halton is heading into a COVID-19 lock- down, the most stringent measures by the province to curb the spread of the virus. Ontario Premier Doug Ford made the announcement on Dec. 21, declaring that a province-wide shutdown, which starts on Dec. 26, was a difficult but necessary deci- sion to save lives and prevent hospitals across Ontario from being overwhelmed. "Thousands of lives are at stake right now. If we fail to take action now, the con- sequences could be catastrophic," he said. The province-wide shutdown is a one- time measure in response to the exception- al circumstances, he said, while asking all Ontarians to stay at home and only leave when absolutely necessary, such as for work, getting groceries and prescriptions, or for medical appointments. Under a lockdown, grocery stores and pharmacies remain open at a reduced ca- pacity. All other retailers are open for curbside pickup and delivery only. Other lockdown restrictions include banning in- door gatherings except with household members and capping outdoor gatherings to 10 people. Religious, wedding and funer- al services are also capped at 10 people for both indoors and outdoors. Initially, Halton Region had been placed in a red control zone since Nov. 16. The lockdown is effective for 28 days in south- ern Ontario and 14 days in northern Onta- rio. Ford said that the province will contin- ue to monitor the data and make adjust- ments if necessary. WEEKLY ROUNDUP: HALTON GOING INTO COVID-19 LOCKDOWN BAMBANG SADEWO bsadewo@metroland.com NEWS