(Bloomberg) — Ontario said it will once again close restaurants and shift schools to online learning as the omicron variant threatens to overwhelm the province’s hospital system.

“We’re bracing for impact,” Premier Doug Ford said at a news conference Monday. “The math isn’t on our side.”

Ontario is dealing with an increase in Covid-19 patients which has caused an increase in hospitalizations. Canada’s most populous province reported a record 18,455 new cases on Jan. 1. According to the statement, a case rate of 50,000 could mean 500 hospitalizations per night, which is more than the 265 recorded last spring. It is possible that the province will soon have hundreds of thousands of cases per day.

Ford said the province could see “hundreds of thousands” of new cases a day. His government is implementing a work-from-home policy that places stricter limitations on indoor gatherings and restricts public events.

“As we continue with or provincial vaccine booster efforts, we must look at every option to slow the spread of the highly contagious omicron variant,” Ford said in a release Monday. He said the measures would be “time limited” and are tentatively scheduled to lift Jan. 26.

Ontario will be closing its gyms, theaters, and indoor venues. January 5th will mark the beginning of remote learning in schools. In-person classes are scheduled to resume on Jan. 5. 

“As cases continue to rise at a rapid rate and evidence on the omicron variant evolves, additional time-limited measures are needed to help limit transmission as Team Ontario continues to get booster doses into arms,” Health Minister Christine Elliott said in a statement. Ontario has delivered over 3.7 million booster doses.

©2022 Bloomberg L.P.