TORONTO -- Three regions in the Toronto area join the COVID-19 red zone today.

The stricter public health measures come into effect in Hamilton, York and Halton regions.

Toronto joined Peel Region in the red alert level - the highest short of a full lockdown - on Saturday.

Another six regions, such as Durham and Waterloo, will move to the orange alert level, and six more, including Windsor-Essex and Sudbury, will join the yellow alert level.

Today's developments come just days after Premier Doug Ford lowered the thresholds for his colour-coded restrictions system.

He said on Friday that recent COVID-19 projections show the province is “staring down the barrel of another lockdown.”