Non-essential businesses in Ontario have until the end of the day on Tuesday, March 24 to shutter their doors for the foreseeable future.

Premier Doug Ford made the announcement on March 23 as the province’s latest measures to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The closure will be in effect for 14 days with the possibility of extension as the situation evolves. The province has said it will release a full list of businesses that are permitted to stay open on Tuesday.

"This was a tough decision, but the right decision, as this is no time for half measures," said the premier. "But I have said from day one we will, and we must, take all steps necessary to slow the spread of COVID-19. The health and safety of every Ontarian must come first. The health of you, your children, your grandparents and friends depends on all of us doing our part."

Businesses that can continue operations with employees working remotely, or through other contingency measures, are being given approximately 36 hours to prepare and adapt. Essential services may continue their operations to maintain supply chains and ensure the people of Ontario have access to necessities, including groceries, medicines and other essential products.

It is not yet known to what extent the mandatory closure will affect construction sites. At a media conference following the announcement, the premier was asked questions about whether the order would extend to construction. Although he did not indicate which way the government was leaning on that question, he pointed to a number of construction sites in the Greater Toronto Area in particular that had failed to provide safe hygiene conditions for workers. Toilets were overflowing and site workers were not being provided facilities for proper hand hygiene.

The premier acknowledged that such situations are not the cases on all sites in the province, and indicated that the industry must take steps to correct these situations or risk being shut down.

He also told Ontario construction workers that if they were working on sites that they considered were not providing adequate sanitation measures, they should walk off their sites and not return.

Earlier in the day, Quebec Premier François Legault ordered all in-person business activity, excluding those offering food and other essential services to shut down through at least April 13. That order extended to the construction industry and factories.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Quebec tripled overnight between March 22 and March 23.