The head of the Ontario Hospital Association is warning that increasing COVID-19 case rates could lead to another provincial lockdown.
OHA president Anthony Dale says the province's accelerating infections rates in Toronto, Peel and Ottawa could spread to the rest of Ontario if people don't respect public health guidelines.
He says Ontario residents must practise physical distancing, wear masks when required, and neither host nor attend unsafe gatherings and parties.
Dale says he is making the request of Ontario residents on behalf of hospital staff who are the anchor of the province's pandemic response.
He says some people have been lulled into a false sense of security by case numbers which had been decreasing last month.
His statement comes as Ontario's new case count increased for the fourth consecutive day, with 313 cases reported today along with one new death from the virus.