<p>Canada's most populous province, Ontario, has extended its lockdown and taken new steps to try to defeat Covid, closing domestic borders and barring unnecessary travel, its leader said Friday.</p>.<p>The province of 14 million people registered 4,812 new cases - a record high -- and 25 deaths on Friday, according to health officials.</p>.<p>"The pace of our vaccine supply has not kept up with the spread of the new Covid variants," Ontario Premier Doug Ford told reporters.</p>.<p>"We are on our heels, but if we dig in, remain steadfast, we can turn this around. We're down, but by no means are we out," he said.</p>.<p>Ford extended the lockdown now in effect by two weeks until May 19, and ordered Ontario residents to go out only to tend to their basic needs.</p>.<p><strong>Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/astrazeneca-covid-shots-not-recommended-for-under-55s-in-canada-govt-source-968122.html" target="_blank">AstraZeneca Covid shots not recommended for under 55s in Canada: govt source</a></strong></p>.<p>Police will be able to crack down on offenders by fining them Can$750 (US$600).</p>.<p>The provincial government is also closing non-essential construction sites, limiting outdoor gatherings to only family members and one other person, and banning outdoor sports like golf and basketball.</p>.<p>It is also limiting the capacity of essential businesses, such as pharmacies or supermarkets, to 25 per cent, as well as weddings, funerals or religious ceremonies to 10 people.</p>.<p>Its borders with the provinces of Quebec and Manitoba will be closed to non-essential travel beginning Monday.</p>.<p>Ontario has broken records for several days for number of new Covid-19 cases, hospitalizations and intensive care patients, which are overwhelming its health system.</p>.<p>Without stricter measures, new cases could reach 30,000 per day by June, a scientific committee advising the Ontario government warned on Friday.</p>.<p>A more optimistic modeling scenario showed more than 10,000 daily cases.</p>.<p>The test positivity rate in the province is 7.9 per cent and exceeds 10 per cent in Toronto, Canada's largest city.</p>.<p>For several days Canada has seen more Covid-19 cases per capita than the United States, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.</p>.<p>The country of around 37 million people has recorded more than 1.1 million cases since the start of the pandemic and some 23,500 deaths.</p>
<p>Canada's most populous province, Ontario, has extended its lockdown and taken new steps to try to defeat Covid, closing domestic borders and barring unnecessary travel, its leader said Friday.</p>.<p>The province of 14 million people registered 4,812 new cases - a record high -- and 25 deaths on Friday, according to health officials.</p>.<p>"The pace of our vaccine supply has not kept up with the spread of the new Covid variants," Ontario Premier Doug Ford told reporters.</p>.<p>"We are on our heels, but if we dig in, remain steadfast, we can turn this around. We're down, but by no means are we out," he said.</p>.<p>Ford extended the lockdown now in effect by two weeks until May 19, and ordered Ontario residents to go out only to tend to their basic needs.</p>.<p><strong>Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/astrazeneca-covid-shots-not-recommended-for-under-55s-in-canada-govt-source-968122.html" target="_blank">AstraZeneca Covid shots not recommended for under 55s in Canada: govt source</a></strong></p>.<p>Police will be able to crack down on offenders by fining them Can$750 (US$600).</p>.<p>The provincial government is also closing non-essential construction sites, limiting outdoor gatherings to only family members and one other person, and banning outdoor sports like golf and basketball.</p>.<p>It is also limiting the capacity of essential businesses, such as pharmacies or supermarkets, to 25 per cent, as well as weddings, funerals or religious ceremonies to 10 people.</p>.<p>Its borders with the provinces of Quebec and Manitoba will be closed to non-essential travel beginning Monday.</p>.<p>Ontario has broken records for several days for number of new Covid-19 cases, hospitalizations and intensive care patients, which are overwhelming its health system.</p>.<p>Without stricter measures, new cases could reach 30,000 per day by June, a scientific committee advising the Ontario government warned on Friday.</p>.<p>A more optimistic modeling scenario showed more than 10,000 daily cases.</p>.<p>The test positivity rate in the province is 7.9 per cent and exceeds 10 per cent in Toronto, Canada's largest city.</p>.<p>For several days Canada has seen more Covid-19 cases per capita than the United States, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.</p>.<p>The country of around 37 million people has recorded more than 1.1 million cases since the start of the pandemic and some 23,500 deaths.</p>