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The City of Toronto‘s emergency operations centre (EOC) is now operating at the highest level possible after the Ontario government declared a state of emergency due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Toronto is now at a Level 3, according to Toronto fire Chief Matthew Pegg.

Pegg is not only the city’s fire chief but also the general manager of its Office of Emergency Management. He tweeted about the upgrade Tuesday night.

READ MORE: Ontario government declares state of emergency amid coronavirus pandemic

“Our EOC and COVID-19 task force are fully engaged in managing the pandemic in Toronto,” Pegg tweeted.

Pegg said that once Ontario declared a state of emergency, the city automatically moved to Level 3 – Major Emergency.

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“This deploys some additional resources into the EOC in support of city-wise co-ordination. We are well managed/resourced and are operating effectively,” Pegg tweeted.

The Ontario government declared a state of emergency early Tuesday morning, which forced many businesses to close and keep people at home to prevent the spread of COVID-19 as hospitals struggle to manage the impact of the illness caused by the novel coronavirus.

The @cityoftoronto Emergency Operations Centre is now operating at Level 3. This is the highest level of EOC activation. Our EOC and #COVID19 Task Force are fully engaged in managing the pandemic in Toronto. @TorontoOEM @TOPublicHealth — Matthew Pegg (@ChiefPeggTFS) March 17, 2020