Ontario is considering “next steps” to limit the spread of Covid-19, Reuters quoted Premier Doug Ford as saying on Twitter on Monday, amid calls to put Canada’s most populous province under more stringent lockdown as the pandemic overwhelms its hospitals.

Ford is widely expected to announce further restrictions after Ontario health authorities release new case modelling on Tuesday, which the premier has previously described as “a wake up call to anyone who’s seen it.”

Canada’s economic engine has been under lockdown since Dec 26, shuttering non-essential businesses and extending closure of elementary schools in some parts last week.

Yet the daily number of Covid-19 cases has spiked above 3,500 on average over the past seven days, government data showed. That is straining Ontario’s hospitals, and the Canadian Broadcasting Corp (CBC) reported on Monday the modelling would show Ontario’s intensive care units would be filled beyond capacity by mid-February.